Use this worksheet to develop the set of information literacy skills that will make you an efficient information forager. To get started, plan your search strategy and scan your wider environment for ideas and resources. Begin by hunting for specific information whose value you know that you can trust. Practice gathering so that unexpected but rewarding information comes your way. While we present these skills in a logical order, it always pays to be flexible, vary your strategy, and learn from experience.
#1 KNOW WHAT YOU NEED - What is the nature of your assignment?
#2 SELECT THE BEST RESOURCES - Use Find Resources By... Subject to decide where to begin your search.
#3 DEVELOP A SEARCH STRATEGY - Ask a Librarian for help in selecting the right words or terms to describe your information need. We can teach you useful search techniques and concepts (like some of these below).
What KEYWORDS describe your topic?
Example: standardized tests in high schools
What SYNONYMS or related terms describe each of the facets or concepts within your topic?
Example: tests or testing or assessment [concept 1] high schools or secondary schools or secondary education [concept 2]
What SUBJECT HEADINGS seem to be associated with periodical articles and books on your topic?
Example: educational tests and measurement, test bias, achievement tests
List some keywords, synonyms, or subjects for Concept 1
List some keywords, synonyms, or subjects for Concept 2
Use BOOLEAN OPERATORS AND, OR, NOT to develop your search strategy.
The shaded areas represent the amount of information you should expect to find:
AND Narrows your search (intersection) Example: tests AND schools
OR Broadens your search (union) Example: tests OR exams
NOT Narrows your search (exclusion) Example: tests NOT eye
Too many results? Use NARROWER (more specific) terms. Use more AND terms. Use NOT cautiously!
Too few results? Use BROADER (more general) terms. Use more OR terms.
Use TRUNCATION to retrieve variant forms of a term. Common truncation symbols include: * $ ? # !
Example: school* OR educat* OR teach*
Use PARENTHESES to group related terms. Just as with algebra, do the operation in the parentheses first.
Example: (tests OR testing OR assessment) AND (high schools OR secondary schools) AND (research OR study)
#4 RETRIEVE WHAT YOU NEED - Try out the library's superb delivery tools, such as FIND IT or E-Journal Finder.
#5 EVALUATE WHAT YOU FIND - Ask yourself, does this information pass the Credibility, Relevancy, Authority, Accuracy, Perspective Test?See Is Your Journal Scholarly?Is Your Web Site Credible? for more evaluative criteria.
#6 ORGANIZE WHAT YOU SELECT - Keep a record of your search history so you know where to forage next, and what search strategies work best. Notice the tools in your information environment that can help you get organized.
#7 TREAT INFORMATION ETHICALLY - Avoid plagiarizing others' ideas, credit your sources, and cite accurately.
#8 EXPLORE INFORMATION LANDSCAPES - Branch out to follow the trails left behind by key authors and their cited references. Cited-by links are a great way for modern hunter-gatherers to discover relevant information.
Finally, take a moment to reflect on the information foraging process — What did you learn today? What next steps do you plan to take? Always Ask a Librarian to show you the way.
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