but i read it on the internet! promoting information competency in biological psychology laura...
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But I Read It On the Internet! Promoting Information Competency
in Biological Psychology
Laura Freberg
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
What Is Information Competency and Why Is It Important?
The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) developed competency standards for higher education.
These standards apply to all resources, not just electronic resources.
ACRL Standards
The information literate student is able to: Determine the extent of information needed. Access the needed information effectively and efficiently. Evaluate information and its sources critically. Incorporate selected information into one’s knowledge
base. Use information effectively to accomplish a specific
purpose. Understand the economic, legal, and social issues
surrounding the use of information, and access and use information ethically and legally.
Evaluating Resources
Relevance/appropriateness to your research topic
Currency Authority/credibility Coverage Accuracy
Sample Assignments: The Challenge Article
Assign a controversial reading (the crazier the better).
Examine each point using other resources. Investigate the author, and comment on
possible biases. Investigate sources quoted in the article and
comment on possible biases. Rewrite the article in a manner you believe to
be more objective (works better for advanced students).
The Literature Comparison
Compare the literature on the same topic from today to 20 years ago.
How has the terminology changed? What assumptions have been changed? How has the audience for this literature
changed? What questions remain unanswered? Imagine what a reference list for this topic
might look like ten years from now.
Comparing Bibliographies
Compare the bibliographies from two current papers on the same topic.
Which do you think is better and why? Create a quantitative grading scheme for
bibliographies and see if your scheme gives you the same result as previously.
Pathfinder
Choose a very limited field and produce a “pathfinder” or miniguide.
Outline the topic and provide the very best resources for the field.
Budgeting
Pick a research topic of interest to you. Now imagine that you have $2000 to
spend on resources relevant to your topic. What do you choose? Why?
Teaching
Pretend that you need to teach a topic to a group of people outside the field, such as children, students majoring in other fields, or senior citizens.
Prepare a handout that includes the five best references for your topic for this audience.
Update
Find a review article that is at least three years old.
What references would you add to it? Why?
Ignorance
Choose a narrow topic. Summarize what we DON’T know about
your topic.
Experts
Identify three experts in an area of interest.
Compare and contrast their ideas. Who influences you the most and why?
Classic Sources
Choose a “classic paper” on your topic. Follow the use of that paper by other
researchers or by textbook authors. Have citations been true to the original
conclusions of the paper?
Popular or Scholarly?
Choose a topic that is widely covered by the popular press (e.g. ADHD).
Compare and contrast the way the topic is covered by popular press articles and scholarly articles.
Reaction Papers
Choose five resources on a narrow topic. Identify your opinion of the topic prior to
reading the resources. Did your opinion change after your
reading? Which article was most influential? Why? Which article was least influential? Why?
The Website
Identify three websites that contain information relevant to your topic.
Evaluate each site based on relevance, currency, accuracy, credibility, and coverage.
Comparing Journals
Identify two journals covering the same material.
Compare and contrast the journals regarding tone, audience, content, and style.
Some Really Helpful Websites
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/FindInfo.html
http://www.lib.calpoly.edu/infocomp/modules/index.html
http://tilt.lib.utsystem.edu/ http://ols.cuny.edu/tutorial/
For Further Information….
[email protected] Snail mail:
Laura Freberg
Psychology and Child Development
California Polytechnic State University
San Luis Obispo, CA 93407 (805) 756 2357