Conclusion
Module summary
What is information?
- Information is part of a hierarchy with data and knowledge.
- One way of thinking about information is as data with added meaning.
Types of information
- Common sources of information include books, journals, newspapers and websites.
- Peer reviewed journals are an excellent place to look for authoritative information.
- You may need to use special types of information for your assignments. The Library has guides to help you find these.
Finding information
- Planning a search strategy will help you to find the best information for your assignment.
- Primo Search provides access to our resources and is a great place to start.
- Databases are more subject specific and allow for very advanced searches.
Searching the internet
- Internet search engines curate the results that you get back, so treat them with care.
- Just because information is freely available on the internet doesn’t mean that it’s of less quality.
- Open access journals are often peer reviewed and freely available.
Evaluating information
- There are a lot of ways to tell whether information is reliable.
- You can use the CRAP method as a quick reminder of key qualities.
Fake news, facts and data
- Alternative facts aren’t facts.
- Fake news isn’t a new phenomenon but can still be hard to spot.
- Be careful when reading about or using statistics – are you getting the full picture?
You have completed the Information Essentials module.
Help us improve
We value your feedback. Please take a moment to share your thoughts on this resource: Feedback: OER at Charles Sturt
Digital Skills – choose other modules to build your digital capabilities.
