Business Computer Apps (Assignment Guide)

Information Literacy

Understanding How to Find and Use Quality Information

While there are 5 basic information literacy skills, they are not performed in step-by-step order, instead you will ping-pong back and forth among the 5 activities:

• Skill #1: identify what you need the information for
  • an assignment? 
  • a restaurant menu?
• Skill #2: locate the information to meet your need
  • assignment 
    • research the library databases
    • search Google
    • ask a librarian
  • Google the restaurant website
• Skill #3: evaluate the information for credibility and accuracy
  • check author qualifications
  • verify the facts across several sources
• Skill #4:  use the information in some way 
  • to write a paper or report
  • order a sandwich
• Skill #5: attribute the source of your information 
  • list citations 
  • recommend the restaurant as a great place to eat

Break the process down into individual pieces

1. explore multiple sources to find out what information has been published about your topic
   • skim and scan the article - look for facts you can use
   • jot them down along with the title and database (you'll need it later)
2. discover what you don't know and what you need to learn 
3. identify and jot down key facts, details, and concepts that relate to your topic
   • names, places, dates, events, issues, etc.
4. evaluate the credibility of the information
5. analyze how useful the information is and how you might use it
6. synthesize (bring together) the pieces information to complete your assignment or project

Finding Information: Business Topics

• Step 1: choose a topic interesting to you
• Step 2: make a list of search terms related to your topic
• Step 3: find background information - use Credo Reference database 
  • definitions and concepts 
  • basic facts/ideas (key people, issues, dates/timelines, places, history, events, etc.
  • use background information to identify an area you want to focus on
  • identify new search terms based on what you learn 
    • write it down so you remember it
• Step 4: look for detailed research about your business topic
  • scholarly articles, data, statistics
    • database: MasterFILE Complete (magazine and newspaper articles)
    • database: Academic Search Premier (scholarly/peer-reviewed articles)
• Step 5: evaluate your articles by asking: 
  • is the article useful for your assignment?
  • is the information up-to-date based on your topic?
  • is the author qualified to write about your topic?
  • did you verify the information with other sources?
  • is the article factual and unbiased?
  • is the purpose of the article to educate? inform? 
  • is it written for your reader?  
• Step 6: combine what you already knew about your topic with the new knowledge you learned during the research process