Authority is Constructed and Contextual
The resources below relate to the Authority is Constructed and Contextual frame of the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. Learning outcomes include, but are not limited to:
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Evaluate information sources using specific criteria in order to determine their credibility and relevance.
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Identify the contexts and value of different types of sources in order to recognize the most relevant information for a given need.
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Articulate ways in which social contexts and structures privilege certain voices and marginalize others.
- Recognize the benefits and limitations of peer review in order to understand the complexities of the process.
Videos and Tutorials | Instruction and Activities | Assignments
Videos and Tutorials
Introductory
- Evaluating Sources for CredibilityExplains the importance of evaluating sources and factors that contribute to credibility.
→ Time: 3 mins - Anatomy of a Scholarly ArticleDescribes the components of a peer-reviewed journal article, with extra focus on empirical articles.
→ Time: 5 mins
Intermediate
- Research 101: Credibility is ContextualExplains that the credibility of a source depends on many factors, and that the importance of credibility can vary depending on a person's information need.
→ Time: 3 mins - How to Choose Your News?Describes how opinions and facts affect the news and how to tell them apart.
→ Time: 5 mins - Online Verification Skills (4 videos)Describes the process that fact-checkers use to evaluate sources and explains the benefits of this process over other methods of evaluation.
→ Time: 12 mins (total) - Check, Please! Starter CourseTeaches how to fact- and source-check in five 30-minute online lessons. Choose one or all lessons for your class.
→ Time: 30 mins to 2.5 hours
Advanced
- 8 Ways to Identify a Questionable Open Access JournalDescribes how to identify questionable or predatory journals in order to avoid using them.
→ Time: 3 mins
Instruction and Activities
Introductory
- Collaborative Evaluation CriteriaStudents work in small groups to identify criteria that they use to evaluate information. After establishing criteria, they may evaluate a specific webpage.
→ Time: 30 mins
→ Computers: Optional - Website EvaluationStudents work in small groups to evaluate a specific webpage, and then they develop common evaluation criteria as a class.
→ Time: 50 mins
→ Computers: Required - Ranking and Evaluating WebpagesThis activity uses a Think, Pair, Share format to teach students about evaluating webpages.
→ Time: 30 mins
→ Computers: Required - Identify and Find Scholarly SourcesStudents learn about characteristics of scholarly sources and then search for scholarly books and articles.
→ Time: 50 mins
→ Computers: Required - Evaluating Sources: What’s a ‘Reliable’ Source?Students learn how to distinguish between credible and inaccurate or biased information by examining specific sources on a topic relevant to the course and answering questions about them.
→ Time: 50 mins
→ Computers: Optional - Authority and Source EvaluationEach group of students is assigned a place to search such as Google, the library catalogue, a database, or wikipedia. Groups then answer questions about one source that they find and share their results with the class.
→ Time: 25 mins
→ Computers: Required - Matters of AuthorityStudents explore the concept of authority by considering who would know the most about a particular topic and exploring different types of sources on a topic.
→ Time: 45 mins
→ Computers: Not Required - Finding and Evaluating Different Types of SourcesStudents work in groups to find and evaluate sources that provide background information, discuss current events, make an argument, and feature data or statistics.
→ Time: 60 mins
→ Computers: Required - Ranking Academic SourcesStudents work in groups to organize sources from most to least academic. Source types could include journal articles, book chapters, webpages, technical reports, blog posts, social media posts, and newspaper articles.
→ Time: 30 mins
→ Computers: Not required - Summarizing Different Perspectives on a Controversial TopicStudents work in groups to find articles that represent a variety of opinions on a topic relevant to the course. They then present their findings to the class.
→ Time: 50 mins
→ Computers: Required
Intermediate
- Authority is Constructed and Contextual: Class Discussion of AuthorshipThe librarian or instructor engages the class in a discussion of authority by examining two different types of information sources written by the same author.
→ Time: 30 mins
→ Compuers: Not required - Authority is Constructed and Contextual: Social MediaThe instructor or librarian presents students with a social media source on a contemporary event and leads a discussion on the authority of the source.
→ Time: 20 mins
→ Computers: Not required - Evaluating Authority of an Academic SourceEach student finds one scholarly article related to their research topic and explores its authority, credibility, and voice/perspective.
→ Time: 20 mins
→ Computers: Required - Question Authority and Be an AuthorityStudents start by answering a series of questions regarding authority and then work in pairs or groups to examine the concept of authority for a particular topic.
→ Time: 50 mins
→ Computers: Required - The Scholarly Article AutopsyStudents work in small groups to systematically examine a scholarly article in depth, identify and evaluate its various components visually and in writing, and then compare it to a non-scholarly article on the same topic.
→ Time: 60 mins
→ Computers: Optional - Reading a Scholarly Journal ArticleStudents read a journal article relevant to the course and complete a worksheet that asks them to identify the article’s research question, key findings, participants (or data sources), methodology, and limitations. (Can be modified for non-empirical articles.)
→ 30 mins
→ Computers: Not required - Contextualizing and Evaluating Information SourcesStudents complete a worksheet with open-ended questions that guide them through sophisticated evaluation of an information source.
→ 50 mins
→ Computers: Required - Comparing Different Source TypesStudents work in groups to examine different types of information sources and answer questions regarding their strengths and limitations. They share their findings with the class.
→ Time: 60 mins
→ Computers: Optional - Scholarly/Non-ScholarlyStudents examine one scholarly and one popular publication relevant to the course and complete a worksheet in which they compare the two sources. The class then discusses appropriate contexts for using the different types of sources.
→ Time: 30 mins
→ Computers: Optional - Non-Scholarly Formats as Research ToolsStudents examine a piece of information such as a blog post or press release and answer and discuss questions that help contextualize the information source.
→ Time: 30 mins
→ Computers: Not required - News Evaluation Beyond the ChecklistStudents work in groups to analyze the content, news type, evidence, and writer's attitude of three different news articles.
→ Time: 50 mins
→ Computers: Not required - Louder Than WordsThis activity uses infographics to teach students about authority, credibility, and the different ways in which information can be presented.
→ Time: 50 mins
→ Computers: Required - SIFT (The Four Moves): Fact and Source CheckingStudents learn how to Stop, Investigate the source, Find trusted coverage, and Trace claims back to the original context. The activity can include one or more of the "moves."
→ Time: 30 mins to 2 hours
→ Computers: Optional (required for some moves)
Assignments
Introductory
- Wikipedia vs. EncyclopediaStudents compare a Wikipedia article and an academic encyclopedia article on the same topic by answering a set of questions and evaluating both using specific criteria.
- Evaluating a Source Using Collaborative Evaluation CriteriaThis assignment accompanies the Collaborative Evaluation Criteria activity. Students evaluate one source using the shared criteria that they developed in class.
Intermediate
- Annotated Bibliography Using Different Source TypesStudents create an annotated bibliography that uses specific types of sources (e.g., reference book entry, scholarly source, popular source). Each annotation addresses specific questions that help contextualize the source. The assignment has multiple versions to be used for various disciplines (interdisciplinary, fine arts, humanities, social sciences, social sciences).
- Examining Representations of Scholarly Research in Popular SourcesStudents find a news/media article that refers to a peer-reviewed journal article. They then find the journal article and answer a series of questions in order to evaluate and compare both sources.
- Scholarly vs. PopularStudents read a scholarly article, magazine article, news article, and webpage on the same topic. They then answer a series of questions in order to compare the sources.
- augustana human libraryStudents attend the augustana human library and listen to one human book. They then create an annotated bibliography of scholarly sources on the human book topic. The assignment includes reflection on the experiences of learning about the topic from a human book and from finding and reading scholarly sources.
- Historical Film Critique and ComparisonStudents examine the portrayal of an historical event in a film by comparing it with scholarly sources about the event.
Advanced
- The Dark Side of Peer ReviewStudents explore the value and limitations of the scholarly peer review process by engaging with a journal article that identifies issues in current peer review practices.