'Information Literacy' is a set of skills that encompasses understanding the information environment, scoping, sourcing and using information in a productive and ethical way. These skills are vital to success in any academic discipline.
It is expected that, whilst studying at Birmingham Newman University, students will learn and build upon their information literacy skills – i.e., the ability to find, use, and critically evaluate information. These skills are essential not only for academic success, but also for navigating daily life and thriving in the workplace.
Our team of Academic Service Librarians are on hand to assist academic staff with ensuring that these skills are embedded within their teaching. It is expected that students will acquire the information literacy skills they need to succeed in their studies over the duration of their course.
Below is a breakdown of the core skills that students are expected to acquire, listed by undergraduate year of study. This breakdown is neither exhaustive nor prescriptive – we acknowledge that different subject areas will have different or specialist needs for their students, and that some skills may be needed at different years of study depending on the course. The below is therefore just a guide.
Your Academic Service Librarian can advise on how and when the different skills should be taught to your students and can work with teaching staff to ensure that each of these skills are taught in a way that is meaningful and relevant. It is unlikely that one teaching session at the start of a course will equip students with all the skills that they need to succeed, so academic staff should liaise with their librarian to discuss the most effective way to cover all the content required, at an appropriate pace.
Distinguish between different types of information.
Awareness of the different information resource types relevant to the subject and expectations for literature usage at undergraduate level.
Evaluate quality of information.
Distinguish between high- and low-quality information found on the general internet.
Judge the value and relevance of different kinds of information found online (professional or vocational, political, academic, clickbait, etc.).
Awareness of potential advantages and disadvantages of using generative AI for finding information.
Use Library Search independently.
Ability to break down a research question into key words and phrases for searching.
Basic searching using filters and limits.
Ability to find a book on the shelf, place reservations, and access your library account.
Ability to access e-books and online journal articles.
Ability to find a source from a reference.
Be aware of plagiarism and reference where appropriate.
Awareness of what constitutes academic integrity.
Understanding of when, why, and how to insert in-text citations.
Ability to construct references in Newman Harvard style, using the library’s referencing guide.
Introduction to subject-specific databases.
Understanding of the difference between Library Search, databases, and general search engines.
Able to carry out basic searches on a database.
Review search results and adapt/refine the search if necessary.
Increased confidence and accuracy in using Newman Harvard style of referencing.
Develop skills in independent research and inquiry, for example in framing questions for research and conducting a review of the literature.
Consolidation of Level 4 skills and filling skills gaps.
Preparation for Level 6.
Use advanced searching techniques on subject-specific databases to find sources that address research problems.
Devise and carry out a complete search strategy, including use of Boolean operators, truncation, wildcards, phrase searching and proximity searching as appropriate.
Use appropriate database and search engine functionality, such as citation searching.
Understand how to keep up to date with information on a topic.
Critically evaluate information, tools and data from any source.
Independently apply assessment methods such as the CRAAP test.
Use of appropriate criteria to include or exclude results from consideration when conducting a literature review or systematic search.
Confidently and correctly reference in the Newman Harvard style of referencing.
If appropriate, use of a reference management tool (e.g. Zotero) for managing large volumes of literature and assisting with the creation of references.
Able to identify errors in references produced by reference management tools and correct them.
We have a bespoke library guide for each subject offered at Birmingham Newman University. Each subject guide contains contact details of the subject area's Academic Service Librarian, and presents students with the opportunity to book an appointment with them. The subject guides contain links to key academic databases for that subject area, as well as prominent journal titles and other specialist tools that the library recommends to students.
We offer a wide range of self-bookable workshops for students throughout the year. Workshops cover topics that range from tours and introductions to Library systems to overcome initial hurdles and anxieties of using an academic library through to referencing and ethical academic practice and the advanced research techniques needed for tackling a large research project. We announce the dates of all upcoming workshops well in advance, and your students can sign up for these workshops through our online booking system.
Students can book one-to-one support tutorials with Academic Support Librarians to get help using the Library, working on assignments, searching databases or referencing.
Last reviewed: 14 March 2024
