Subject Guides: Augustana Plan for the Integration of Information Literacy (APIIL): Information Creation as a Process

Information Creation as a Process

The resources below relate to the Information Creation as a Process frame of the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. Learning outcomes include, but are not limited to:

Identify differences between types of information sources (e.g., books, journal articles, trade publications, webpages) in order to use the most appropriate sources for a given context.
Identify different “genres” within publication types (e.g., empirical vs. review article, edited book vs. authored book) in order to use the most appropriate sources for a given context.
Recognize processes involved in creating different types of information sources in order to use them in a more informed way.

Videos and Tutorials | Instruction and Activities | Assignments

Videos and Tutorials

Introductory

How Is Your Information Created?
Describes what the format/package of information tell us about how the information was created.
→ Time: 4 mins
Popular and Scholarly Sources: The Information Cycle
Explores the differences between popular and scholarly sources in the context of the information cycle.
→ Time: 4 mins
From Idea to Library
Describes how research articles are created and how they end up in library databases.
→ Time: 2 mins
Research 101: Format Matters
Explains how the information creation process affects the reliability and rigour of an information source and how it should be used.
→ Time: 4 mins
Primary vs. Secondary Sources
Describes a variety of types of primary and secondary sources and the differences between them.
→ Time: 3 mins
Wheel of Sources (Primary and Secondary)
An active learning tutorial that explores types of primary and secondary sources.
→ Time: 10 mins

Instruction and Activities

Introductory

Ranking Academic Sources
Students 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
Using Sources to Support a Claim
Students explore the concept of using information sources as evidence for claims by reading articles and evaluating claims made about them.
→ Time: 50 mins
→ Computers: Not required
Identifying Relevant Information Using Primary and Secondary Sources
Students examine primary and secondary sources and complete a worksheet and reflection in which they consider the creators, purpose, and other contexts of the sources.
→ Time: 60 mins
→ Computers: Not required
Making a PACT: Determining a Source’s Purpose, Audience, Conventions, and Trouble Spots
Students work in small groups to identify key characteristics of a source using information provided during an initial lecture.
→ Time: 60 mins
→ Computers: Not required

Intermediate

Locating Academic Sources
Students work in small groups to identify and locate original research studies being reported on in various popular media sources. Students learn how to recognize the information needed to track down the original source and some of the issues related to media coverage of research studies.
→ Time: 40 mins
→ Computers: Required
Information Needs, Types, and Qualities
This activity uses Socratic questioning to explore the research process.
→ Time: 20 mins
→ Computers: Not required
The Scholarly Article Autopsy
Students 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
Evaluating Authority of an Academic Source
Each student finds one scholarly article related to their research topic and explores its authority, credibility, and voice/perspective.
→ Time: 20 mins
→ Computers: Required
Who Cares? Understanding the Human Production of Information
Using a specific topic relevant to the course, students consider who would produce information on the topic. They then find an article on the topic and complete a worksheet that asks questions related to the production and audience of the article.
→ Time: 50 mins
→ Computers: Required
Historical Newspapers and Critical Thinking
Students search for historical news articles on their research topics and critically analyze the articles through class discussion and completion of a worksheet.
→ Time: 60 mins
→ Computers: Required
Louder Than Words
This activity uses infographics to teach students about authority, credibility, and the different ways in which information can be presented.
→ Time: 50 mins
→ Computers: Required

Assignments

Intermediate

Identifying Source Formats
This assignment can be part of a course research assignment. Students identify each type of source that they find during their research and answer questions related to each source's context and use.
Examining Representations of Scholarly Research in Popular Sources
Students 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.
Annotated Bibliography Using Different Source Types
Students 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).
Annotated Bibliography: Humanities
Students create an annotated bibliography with source types relevant to humanities topics (primary source, secondary source, theoretical or reference source). Each annotation answers the questions that help contextualize the source.
Annotated Bibliography: Fine Arts
Students create an annotated bibliography with source types relevant to humanities topics (primary source, review, secondary source). Each annotation answers the questions that help contextualize the source.
Annotated Bibliography: Sciences
Students create an annotated bibliography with source types relevant to humanities topics (primary source, secondary source, grey literature). Each annotation answers the questions that help contextualize the source.
Annotated Bibliography: Social Sciences
Students create an annotated bibliography with source types relevant to humanities topics (primary source (historical), research study, literature review). Each annotation answers the questions that help contextualize the source.

Advanced

Transforming Information to a Different Format
Students use an information source that they have created (e.g., an essay) and transform it into a different format. They reflect on the process of transforming the information into a different format.