- 1. Information LiteracyAfter studying this section, you will know what Information Literacy is, how these skills benefit you, and how you can master them. Among other things, you will learn who to contact for all your questions about the topic, and how your skills are assessed. What is information literacy? Information Literacy focusses on the ability to recognize when information is needed, and on the ability to locate, evaluate and use the needed information effectively and responsibly. When do you need these skills? Many courses you follow as a bachelor or master student require you to study sources and use information from those sources in an assignment or project that will be graded. Rarely, all information you need to study to pass your project is provided at the start of a module. So when and how do you acquire the relevant knowledge? To give you an idea of when Information Literacy skills can be applied, here are a few scenarios: For a course on sustainable energy, you need to optimize the efficiency of a solar farm. The compulsory
- 2. Types of InformationAfter studying this section, you will be able to distinguish different types of sources that you can use to inform yourself or to use in your own work. Among other things, you will learn how to recognize a primary source, what peer-review is, and where to search for patents. Primary, secondary, tertiary Before introducing you to various types of information, it should be noted that a general distinction can be made between primary, secondary and tertiary sources. Depending on the object of study, such sources are sometimes referred to as primary, secondary or tertiary literature. Defining sources as either primary, secondary or tertiary causes some difficulties, as the way a source is treated within different contexts varies. To get a basic understanding of the classification, let’s consider these definitions: Primary sources provide first-hand information that is closest to the object of study (e.g., publications on original research, numerical data, transcripts or photographs). Secondary sources provide non-original
- 3. Evaluating InformationAfter studying this section, you will be ready to critically assess the relevance and quality of sources. Among other things, you will learn why it is important to know where information comes from and what statistical analysis says about the quality of scientific work. Why evaluate? To create works of high quality you need high-quality information to build upon. Using for example unreliable or outdated work could lead to wrong conclusions or design decisions. To contribute to science and progress it is crucial to: Evaluate the quality of information published by others before you use it Evaluate the quality of your own work before you publish it Evaluation criteria Objective evaluation can be challenging, as you do not always have access to the information you need to properly assess a source. You can use the following (CRAAP Test) criteria for evaluating any type of source, bearing in mind that it differs per source how much data is available to assess its quality. Currency Identifying the time of publication
- 4. Accessing SourcesAfter studying this section, you will be able to access all the literature needed for your assignment or research project. Among other things you will learn why some content is behind a paywall, how to easily access ebooks and how to get access to literature that is in our University Library collection. Open access & paywalls While searching for sources of information, you will notice that some are directly available to you and others are not. When it comes to academic publications like scientific papers or textbooks a publication can be ‘open access’ or ‘closed access’: Gold open access: the publication is made publicly available by the publisher on its website. This can apply to any type of academic publication, including books. You can access and use these publications. Closed access: the publication on the publisher website is behind a paywall. You cannot access this publication via the website of the publisher. When it concerns a ‘closed access’ publication, there are other ways to get access: Green open
- 5. Using InformationAfter studying this section, you will be aware of the conditions under which you can incorporate information from other sources in your own work. Among other things, you will learn how to avoid plagiarism, how to save time when documenting and citing sources, and how to use or avoid the use of copyrighted materials. Plagiarism Plagiarism can be defined as presenting someone else’s work as your own, and it is considered a violation of academic integrity. Making clear who has created which information and where to find that information is essential to increase knowledge according to the scientific method, as it allows others to verify your findings. Plagiarism is a form of scientific fraud, comparable to for example fabricating evidence or making up sources. Examples of plagiarism are: Submitting someone else’s work as your own Submitting work that you’ve collaborated on as your own Use your own work for multiple purposes without acknowledging this (self-plagiarism) Referencing in an incorrect manner: - Adopting