INFORMATION LITERACY
MEV040/MEV100S
2011
DEFINITIONS
“The ability to access, evaluate, organise,
and use information from a variety of
sources.”
(Humes, n.d.)
DEFINITIONS…
“ Information literacy is knowing when and
why you need information, where to find it,
and how to evaluate, use and
communicate it in an ethical manner.”
(http://www.cilip.org.uk/professionalguidan
ce/informationliteracy/definition/)
DEFINITIONS…
"To be information literate, a person must
be able to recognize when information is
needed and have the ability to locate,
evaluate and use effectively the needed
information" (American Library
Association, 1989)
An Information Literate person should
be able to:
1. recognise the need for information
2. recognise that accurate and complete
information is the basis for intelligent
decision-making
3. identify potential sources of information
4. develop successful search strategies
5. access sources of information, including
computer-based and other technologies
An Information Literate person
should be able to:
6. evaluate information
7. organise information
8. integrate new information into an existing
body of knowledge
9. use information in critical thinking and
problem solving
Information Literacy Task 1 - 2011
“Increasingly, engineering practitioners and
managers need to know how to respond to
challenges of integrating environmentally
conscious technologies, techniques,
strategies, and objectives into their daily
work” (Kutz, 2007).
In no more than one typed page (about
500 words), excluding illustrations if you
use any, discuss to what extent you
believe this to be true and give some
reasons why. Please use examples in your
discussion, based on what you have
researched.
Questions to ask yourself
What must I do?
Where can I find the information I need?
Which are the best possible sources?
Which databases are the best choices?
Which types of sources will best help me
solve my information problem? Which
sources do I already have?
Do I need help to find the resources or to
make sure I haven't overlooked any critical
sources?
Sources of information
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Books
Journals
Magazines
Newspapers
People who are informed – experts
The internet
Etc.
Finding information
• http://www.cput.ac.za (go to library – see
information literacy)
• http:///www.dlist.org
Plagiarism
1.
2.
3.
4.
What is plagiarism?
stealing and passing of ideas/words of
another as your own.
Using another’s work without giving
credit to the source
To commit literary/academic theft
Presenting information from an existing
source as your original work.
(Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary)
Plagiarism
What students do:
1. submit another’s work, word-for-word as
their own
2. Copy significant portions of text straight
from on source without alteration
3. Try to disguise plagiarism by copying
from different sources, changing
sentences here and there…
4. Sources are not properly cited
Plagiarism
Reasons for Intentional plagiarism:
1. Searching but not researching
2. Thinking that someone else has said it better
than you can
3. Passing – focus on end result
4. Going with the flow: “everyone else is doing it”
5. Poor planning
How to avoid Plagiarism
• Understand what you are reading – to
enable you to write in your own words
(paraphrase)
• Reference your work (see CPUT guide)
• Keep track of all sources/references used
• Know the difference between common
knowledge and the intellectual property of
others
COMMON PROBLEM AREAS
1.LANGUAGE USE
– Tenses (is,was,were)
– Concord (subject does not agree with the
verb)
– Spelling
– Articles (the, a, an) incorrectly used
and/omitted
– Emotive words used
– 1ST person speech
COMMON PROBLEM AREAS
2. LACK OF PROOFREADING
3. PARAGRAPHS ARE NOT LOGICALLY
LINKED
4. LACK OF ADEQUATE VOCABULARY
5. INCORRECT REFERENCING (WORDS AND
ILLUSTRATIONS)
6. PLAGIARISM VS PARAPHRASING
COMMON PROBLEM AREAS
7. Insufficient sources of information used
and/consulted
8. Unfamiliar terms not explained/clarified
9. Final presentation unprofessional
Written work
• Should have a good beginning/introduction
– Provide a context
– State what the focus of the piece of writing is:
• This essay focuses on…
• This focus of this paper is…
• In this thesis the …is presented…
• Should be clear and understandable
• There should be conceptual and logical
links within and between paragraphs
Written work cont…
• Words should be used correctly and spelt
correctly (use a dictionary)
• Your in-text references should be accurate
e.g.
It is important for Environmental
Engineering students to write well (Ziegler,
2011).
Written work cont…
• According to Ziegler (2011:12), “Students
forget that their written work reflects the
quality of their efforts”.
• Use examples/evidence to support what
you say
• The conclusion should be linked to the rest
of your writing and should cleverly
summarise/reiterate main points
Written work cont…
• Bibliography should be:
– accurate and reflect all references from text
– In alphabetical order
e.g.
Omar, I. 2011. Environmental Engineering at
CPUT. Essex: Smurf Publishing.
Woods, R. and Felder, R. 2000. Chemical
Reactions. Cape Town: Peacock.
Ziegler, R. 2011. The Joys of Writing. Durban:
Wishful Publishers.
Questions to ask yourself
• Am I proud of the work I have produced?
• Is it effective?
• Have I met the guidelines or followed the
rubric for the project?
• Am I sure I did not plagiarise from any of
my sources?
• Have I written for my intended audience?
• Is this the best work I could have done?