This is the resource page for CYFS 420, Applied Research Methods and Information Literacy. Here you will find the resources and instruction materials to support the information literacy portion of the curriculum for this course. They are organized into the following resource areas:
- COURSE TEXTBOOK, DATABASES & EBOOKS | - INFORMATION LITERACY |
- TOPIC DEVELOPMENT | - APA REFERENCE CITATIONS |
- SCHOLARLY JOURNAL ARTICLES | - RESEARCH ETHICS |
- ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHIES | - LITERATURE REVIEWS |
We will continue to add materials throughout the course as we cover the different areas of learning.
In 2000, The Association of College and Research Libraries defined Information Literacy as a set of abilities requiring individuals to “recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information.”1
These are basic Information Literacy skills that we use everyday to seek information in answer to our questions:
Defining the information need by having a question to investigate
Identifying and finding appropriate sources to provide information
Evaluating the credibility of a sources and information they provide
Applying/using information correctly and ethically to answer question
Information Literacy is a life-long learning skill that we use personally, professionally, academically and socially.
This presentation from Seminole State College Library explains the five main components of Information Literacy, and how they are applied in academic versus personal and real-life research and investigation. Source: Research Foundation: Information Literacy |
This presentation from Spartanburg Community College Library explains how we use Information Literacy skills in our academic research as well as real life. Source: Real-Life Research Skills |
In 2016, The Association of College and Research Libraries revised the framework for Information Literacy in Higher Education to reflect a more integrative and reflective process that addressed information's role in the context of the development of science, scholarship, and new knowledge.
See in-depth descriptions for each frame at
Canisius University - Andrew L. Bouwhuis, S.J. Library
In this new model Information literacy is also:
Scholarship as Conversation occurs when:
"Communities of scholars, researchers, or professionals engage in sustained discourse with new insights and discoveries occurring over time as a result of varied perspectives and interpretations."
Source: Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education
Successfully finding and engaging with scholarly research materials, requires an understand of these concepts:
These critical thinking skills for finding information and building new knowledge are at the heart of Information Literacy.
The two videos below provide clear explanations of these concepts.
Additional Information Literacy resources include:
- Information Literacy Oregon Open Education Resources
- Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education ACRL
There are two copies of each of these books are on Reserve for CYFS 420 in the library:
Here are two great videos produced by Western Washington University Libraries that explain how to develop a research question and sub-questions to find information on your problem. Once you decide on these questions, you can go and find information on them and bring them together to answer your problem.
Use One Search to find books, articles and films in one search.
NOTE: After entering your search terms, click the "Search" button to generate your results. Do not use the "Enter" key on your keyboard.
These two videos provide a thorough explanation of the purpose and process of the annotation bibliography. Used with permission from Alan W. Aldrich & Carol A. Leibiger. University Libraries, University of South Dakota. Contact: alan.aldrich@usd.edu. Copyright 2014
There is also a printed script for each video as well as a copy of the Source Evaluation Matrix used in video 2:
Note: There is no APA style for annotated bibliographies, only for citing the references in APA style.
The official American Psychological Association (APA) writing and citation style provides excellent resources to help you learn to incorporate this style into your academic writing for your coursework.
Watch the video below to learn what citations are, and how to use them to document your sources in your paper.
Research Ethics: Key Points
Research Ethics: The History
Presented by the University of Maryland
Presented by North Carolina State University Library