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ENG 151: Information Literacy - Source Evaluation

Learning Outcomes

Information literacy is defined as knowing when you need information, then knowing how to find it, evaluate it, and use it effectively.

In this session, we'll focus on the evaluate part of that definition.

You’ll learn how to use the SIFT method, a simple 4-step process to evaluate information to help you decide if your sources are credible and appropriate for your college assignments. 

By the end of this session, you will be able to:

  1. Evaluate the quality of a source using multiple criteria.
  2. Recognize different information formats to select an appropriate format for a specific information need.
  3. Distinguish between a popular and a scholarly source.
  4. Investigate a source to determine its purpose and authority.
  5. Locate the information cited within a source when determining the credibility of the source.

The Research Process

steps of the research process: Information need, pre-research, research question, search strategy, search, evaluate, and cite.

The Research Process

  1. Information need: What is your assignment asking you to find? 
  2. Pre-research: Choose a topic, learn more about it, narrow it down, find keywords.
  3. Research question: What is your assignment asking you to create?
  4. Search strategy: Where will you look for information?
  5. Search: Start with the main ideas of your topic or research question.
  6. Evaluate every source you find - for credibility and usefulness.
  7. Cite: You have found credible sources and answered your research question!