“Information literacy is the ability to think critically and make balanced judgments about any information we find and use. It empowers us as citizens to develop informed views and to engage fully with society” CILIP (2018)
You can find information from an endless number of sources and the quality of the information you find varies greatly; as well as retrieving authoritative, current and reliable sources, you will find biased, outdated, misleading or false sources. It is essential that you understand what constitutes a credible and reliable information source, where to find it, and how to use it ethically and responsibly. Information literacy equips you with the skills to effectively find, evaluate and use information, skills which are essential for academic success and lifelong learning.
Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals. (2018). What is information literacy? https://www.cilip.org.uk/news/news.asp?id=421972
Finding books in the library
The Library uses the Dewey Decimal Classification system which groups all books according to subject using a 'classmark' made up of numbers; these numbers are usually followed by the first three letters of the author's surname.
Heritage Online (the library catalogue) displays the location, classmark and availability of each item.
Finding journal article in the library
The library subscribes to more than 7000 specialist journals and 16 academic databases. You can use our Find It tool to search for articles, you can search each database individual or you can use or journals A - Z to find access to specific journals. To find out more, visit our Journals and Databases page.
For guidance on planning and carrying out your search, see our Literature Searching LibGuide.
Misinformation refers to false or inaccurate information that is spread, often unintentionally, leading to misunderstanding or incorrect beliefs about a particular topic or event.
Disinformation refers to deliberately false information intentionally created and disseminated to deceived or manipulate people or influence opinions.
This document from the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions provides some tips for identifying fake news.
There is an enormous amount of information on the Web and it varies hugely in terms of quality and trustworthiness, what clues can you use to help you evaluate whether a source may be reliable?
The 'CRAAP Test' was developed by Librarian Sarah Blakesee and team at California State University. CRAAP stands for:
Accurate referencing is essential in all academic work, and it:
For more support with referencing and to access the referencing tools provided by the library, visit our referencing guide.
Being digitally capable means more than spotting fake news — it means being able to ask good questions, check sources, and make reasoned decisions about what (and who) to trust online. Here are some strategies you could use to help build your critical thinking skills.
Lateral reading – don't just read down the page, read across the web. Find out who is behind the information, what others say about it and look for coverage elsewhere that may be more reliable.
The SIFT Method – a quick and effective way to evaluate digital content, particularly useful for social media and new sites.
Stop – don't automatically trust or share
Investigate the source – who created this and why?
Find better coverage – can you verify the story?
Trace claims to the original – go back to where it came from.
Avoid echo chambers (where you only encounter views similar to your own) by following a variety of views and viewpoints, using private or incognito browsing for unbiased search results and questioning how and why something appeared on your feed
Use fact checking tools such as Google fact check, full fact, media bias/fact check and Snopes (among others)
Watch out for tricks and traps such as clickbait headlines, emotional appeals, logical fallacies and misleading visuals/edited videos
Critical thinking means pausing, checking, and reflecting — even if something supports your existing beliefs.