JOMO KENYATTA UNIVERSITY

OF
AGRICULTURE & TECHNOLOGY
JKUAT SODeL

SCHOOL OF OPEN, DISTANCE AND eLEARNING

P.O. Box 62000, 00200
2017

Nairobi, Kenya
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E-mail: elearning@jkuat.ac.ke

CILS 2101 COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION

LITERACY SKILLS

JJ II
J I LAST REVISION ON October 10, 2017
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 CILS 2101
This presentation is intended to covered within one week.
The notes, examples and exercises should be supple-
mented with a good textbook. Most of the exercises have
solutions/answers appearing elsewhere and accessible by
clicking the green Exercise tag. To move back to the same
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page click the same tag appearing at the end of the solu-
tion/answer.
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Errors and omissions in these notes are entirely the re-

sponsibility of the author who should only be contacted
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through the Department of Curricula & Delivery

(SODeL) and suggested corrections may be e-mailed to
elearning@jkuat.ac.ke.
JJ II
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LESSON 6
INFORMATION LITERACY SKILLS

6.1. Introduction and course overview

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We are all living in a knowledge Society with proliferating infor-

mation resources and drastic changes in our environments. In
our everyday life, we confront dramatic challenges coming from
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the rapidly changing social, political and economic environments

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of our society. These are so much information available today.

We see an exponential increase information, thanks to the ease
of adding information to the internet and publishing, both print
and electronic materials via the web. With so much information,
JJ II it becomes easy to find something, but it is increasingly more
J I difficult to find exactly the right piece of information.
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Proliferation of new technologies has greatly increased the
amount, type and quality of information readily available to our
students and community members. More and more success in
higher education and in the workplace depends on information
literacy and competency skills and the ability to use information
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resources independently and effectively.

University and other institutions of higher education have an
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obligation to help students develop curiosity, desire to explore,

as well as problem solving and critical thinking skills by learn-
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ing how to effectively, efficiently search for, access and retrieve

information, as well as how to critically evaluate, analyze and
synthesize information.
JJ II Information literacy means many things to many people, but
J I most agree that it is an essential skill in today’s knowledge-based
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society. To be information literate, students must be able to;-
• Determine the extent of information needed
• Access the needed information effectively and efficiently
• Evaluate information and its sources critically
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• Incorporate selected information into one’s knowledge base

• Use information effectively to accomplish a specific pur-
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pose
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• Understand the economic, legal and social issues surround-

ing the use of information ethically and legally.
This module is therefore designed with the aim of equipping our
students with the ability to identify, search, evaluate, use and
JJ II present information effectively and ethically. It is intended to
J I help students pursue life-long learning; take advantage of the
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opportunities offered by the global information society and ulti-
mately become informed and responsible citizens.
Module Content: Understanding information literacy, Infor-
mation needs and information sources: defining a topic, types of
information sources. Access of information: how to find books,
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journal articles and database search techniques. Evaluation and

use of information; determining credibility and reliability of in-
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formation sources. Economic, legal and social issues surrounding

the use of information: plagiarism and how to avoid it, docu-
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menting sources of information: citation styles and referencing

techniques. The impact of information and technology on the
economy and society.
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6.2. Understanding Information Literacy
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this module, students will be able to; - Understand
and reflect on the value of information literacy - Find their way
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around the Library in order to find information they need - Use

the library website to find information - Understand and apply
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the basics of the research process.

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6.2.1. What is information Literacy?

Education requires the ability to adopt problem solve and think
critically about challenges that arise in your daily activities. An
educated person can recognize an opportunity to learn and make
JJ II
the most of it. An important skill to acquire is the ability to
J I
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acknowledge when you don’t know something and decide what
to do about it. In other words, it is valuable to approach an
assignment by asking yourself the following;
• What do I really know about this?
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• What do I want to know?

• How do I find the information indeed?
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Beyond that, you should be able to ask;

• Where will I find the best information to fit my needs?
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• How will I know it when I see it?

• What do I do with it once I have it?
All these questions are part of the concept referred to as "In-
JJ II formation Literacy" which you learn about, practice, and apply
J I as you work through the course modules. Understanding these
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concepts will prepare you to approach subsequent modules with
a clear sense of purpose.
According to the America Library Association, infor-
mation literacy is the ability to recognize when information is
needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effec-
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tively the needed information "(ACRL, 2000, p.1). In other

words, students who are information literate will know what
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they want (information) and how to get it (through research).

The definition of an information literate person extends be-
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yond school and application to academic problems such as writ-

ing assignments and term papers and reaches into the workplace.
Information literacy is also important to effective and enlight-
JJ II ened citizenry, and has implications that can impact the lives of
J I many people around the world. The ability to use information
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technologies effectively to find and manage information, and the
ability to critically evaluate and ethically apply that information
to solve a problem are some of the hallmarks of an information
literate individual.
We live in the information age, and ‘information” is increas-
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ing at a rapid pace. We have the internet, television, radio and

other information resources available to us 24/7. However, just
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because so much information is so easily and quickly available

does not mean that all of it is worthwhile or even true.
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Hardware and software technologies have been advancing

and this expected to continue. New technologies are being in-
vented. All times, we are faced with new challenges like usage of
JJ II new hardware, new version of software, new operating systems,
J I and new applications with synergy of hardware and software
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etc. Today’s employers are looking for people who understand
and can adapt to the characteristics of the information age If a
student has "learned how to learn" upon graduation, they are
much more attractive to the job market. An information literate
individual – with their strong analytical, critical thinking and
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problem solving skills, can be expected to be adaptable, capable

and valuable employee, with much to contribute.
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6.3. Information Needs and Information Sources

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Introduction
Whenever you are required to write an academic paper for
assignment, you start your information research process. In the
JJ II first stage you will need to define the topic and then determine
J I the information needs (i.e. requirements) for your specific prob-
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lem.
You will then move to the second stage of developing you
search strategy. However, before actually defining your search
strategies, you will need to know that there are wide ranges
and different types of information source available for you’re
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searching.
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Learning Outcomes
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Upon completion of this session, students should be able to:

• Determine the information needs (requirements) for their
selected topic/problem or assignment
• Define information sources
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• Identify different types of information sources
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• Identify the differences between primary sources and sec-
ondary sources
• Understand what each source type covers arid when to use
a particular source.
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6.3.1. Defining a Topic

Defining a topic for your academic assignment involves the fol-
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lowing two important processes: - selecting a topic and refining

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your topic.

• Selecting a topic
Selecting a topic is the first step you have to do in your infor-
JJ II mation research process. With information provided by your
J I lecturers, you may get some idea of the topic to work with, or
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you may not have any idea at all, either way, you may find the
following helpful for selecting a topic for your assignment;
• Select a topic that genuinely interests you
• Look up the syllabus to see what topics are covered in the
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course
• Look up the teaching materials reserved for the course in
the library
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• Brainstorm all possible ideas with your fellow classmates

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or group members
• Browse scholarly journals or books in the common areas
on interest. You may also find it helpful to look up other
JJ II sources such as newspapers, magazines or web resources
J I etc.
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• Check-up possible topics in a general encyclopedia or in
subject encyclopedia such as Britannica.

• Refining your topic:

Refining your topic is a continuing process, with a workable topic
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resulted as its by-product. The process requires some critical

thinking and analysis, and involves the following activities.
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• State your topic as a question

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At this point, you may have some general idea of your stated
problem. Now you can further clarify your thoughts and focus
by stating your topic as a question. Once you have stated your
topic as a question, you need to identify the main concepts in the
JJ II question making a list of important keywords that describe your
J I topic. (These should include synonyms or other related terms).
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The list of keywords will be very useful as it provides you added
terms to use when you require more information, they also guide
you in the ways to narrow or broaden your topic.

• Narrow or broaden your topic if needed

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When you find that you have too much information in the list,
you may need to narrow your topic by adding specific terms to
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your question(s). in contrast, you may need to broaden you topic

by including more general terms to your question(s). In other
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words, to strike a happy medium between broad and narrow,

try picking a specific angle, section, or aspect of a broad topic
or looking at how a narrow topic is influences by other factors,
or how it influences other factors in your field.
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• Determining information needs
Once a topic is defined, you have to determine the information
requirements (i.e Information needs) for your specific problem
or assignment. The types of information required are dependent
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on the topic selected. The following points are important to

consider when determining the information needs of your topic\:
• Type of assignment: Assignments can differ from a short
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presentation to a major project (e.g. masters thesis) with

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many varieties in between including short essays, critiques

summaries, term papers etc.
• The quantity of information required to meet your needs:
Depending on the specific requirements of your problem
JJ II (topic), you may note that some assignments can be done
J I by consulting brief summaries or overviews, whereas other
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assignments may require more detailed and wide ranging
information.
• Currency of information: you will need to now whether
your assignments require the most updated information
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or historical information or information over a period of

time. - The types of publication of your information need;
- You need to know whether the assignment needs informa-
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tion from books, scholarly or professional journals, current

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information from popular magazines, newspapers, trade

magazines, or government publications etc.
• Kinds of information sources (primary sources or secondary
sources for your need: - In most cases, you will use sec-
JJ II ondary sources (e.g. books and journal articles, reference
J I materials, magazines, newspapers encyclopedia etc) for
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your assignments. However, in some other cases, your as-
signments may require you to use primary sources such as
interviews diaries, letters, discussions debates or raw data
collected from surveys etc.
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• Formats of information sources for your need:- In addition

to using printed sources, you may need to use other kinds
of sources (non-print sources) such as audio, audio-visual,
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multimedia, microform and electronic books, journal, im-

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ages; text/records form the internet etc).

Information Sources Information is processed data and is an es-
sential ingredient in decision-making. An information source is
where you got you information from; this can be a book or a
JJ II website. Information sources are various means by which infor-
J I mation is recorded for use by an individual or an organization.
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It is the means by which a person is informed about something
or knowledge is availed to someone, a group of people or an or-
ganization. Information sources can be observations, people,
speeches, documents, pictures, organizations. They come in
many types of formats such as in print, in electronic (digital)
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format or in person (an interview).

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6.4. Types of information sources

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Information can come from virtually everywhere: personal ex-

periences, books, articles, expert opinions, encyclopedias, and
the web. The type of information needed will change depending
on its application. Individuals generate information on a daily
JJ II basis as they go about their business. In academic institutions,
J I staff and student consult various sources of information. The
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choice of the source to be consulted is usually determined by
the type of information being sought. Information sources are
categorized into three types;
• Primary sources
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• Secondary sources
• Tertiary sources
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6.4.1. Primary Sources:

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Primary sources are original materials on which other research

studies are based. They report a discovery or share new informa-
tion; they present first-hand accounts and information relevant
to an event. They present information it its original form, not
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interpreted or condensed or evaluated by other writers. They
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are usually evidence or accounts of the events, practices or con-
ditions being researched and created y a person who directly
experienced that event. Primary sources are the first formal ap-
pearance of results in print or electronic formats. Examples of
primary sources are:-
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• Eyewitness accounts
• Journalistic reports
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• Financial reports
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• Government documents
• Archeological and Biological evidence
• Court records
JJ II • Literary manuscripts
J I • Minutes of meetings
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• Research data, statistics, or findings from experiments or
surveys etc.
The definition of a primary source may also vary depending
upon the discipline or context. A diary would be a primary
source because it is written directly by the individual writing in
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the diary. Interviews are primary sources because the individual

talks about the topic directly from what he/she knows about it.
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6.4.2. Secondary Sources:

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A secondary source of information is one that was created by

someone who did not have the first-hand experience or did not
participate in the event or conditions being researched. They are
JJ II generally accounts written after the fact with the benefit of hind
J I sight. Secondary sources describe, analyze, interpret, evaluate,
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comment on arid discuss the evidence. For secondary sources,
often the best are those that have been published most recently.
If you use a secondary source that was published decades ago, it
is important to know what subsequent scholars have written on
the topic and what criticism they have made about the earlier
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work or its approach to the topic. The definition of a secondary

source may also vary depending upon the discipline or context.
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Most often how a source is used determines whether it is a pri-

mary or secondary source. For historical research projects, sec-
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ondary sources are generally scholarly nooks and articles. Other

examples of secondary sources are;-
• Bibliographies (also considered tertiary)
JJ II • Biographical works
J I • Commentaries
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• Criticisms
• Dictionaries
• Histories
• Journal articles (depending on the discipline these can be
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primary).
• Magazine newspaper articles (varies by discipline)
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• Monographs (Other than fiction and autobiography)

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• Textbooks (also considered tertiary)

• Websites (also considered primary)
It should be noted that the nature of your research and you in-
formation need will determine which types of sources are more
JJ II appropriate. In some cases you may need to consult both pri-
J I mary and secondary sources for a sound argument.
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6.4.3. Tertiary Sources:
Tertiary sources consist of Information which is a distillation
and collection of primary and secondary sources. Generally,
they are not considered to be acceptable material on which to
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base academic research. They are intended only to provide an

overview of what the topic includes its basic terminology and
often references for further reading. Tertiary sources are usually
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not credited to a particular author. Some reference materials

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and textbooks are considered tertiary sources when their main

purpose is to list summaries or simply repackage ideas or other
information. In other words, tertiary sources are;
• Works which list primary and secondary resources in a
JJ II specific subject area
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• Works which index, organize and compile citations to, and
show how secondary sources can be used
• Materials in which the information from secondary sources
has been "digested" reformatted and condensed, to put it
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into a convenient, easy-to0read form.

• Sources which are once removed in time from secondary
sources.
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• Some examples include dictionaries and encyclopedias, Wikipedi

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and other similar user contributed online reference mate-

rials as well as various digests.

6.4.4. Popular Magazines vs. Scholarly Journals

JJ II It is important to learn to distinguish between popular maga-
J I zines and scholarly journals. Not only will your professors often
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ask you to use only scholarly journals, but you will also gain a
greater understanding of the purpose and intended audience of
the resources you use to develop your research topic.
Note that popular magazines and scholarly journals are types
of periodicals. A periodical is any publication produced period-
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ically, that is, in regularly recurring intervals. Examples include

journals, magazines, and newspapers. Periodicals are often also
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referred to as serials.
When people hear the word periodical, they often think of
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articles. The articles in periodicals can run from a single para-

graph story in a newspaper to a 40 page study in a scholarly
journal. Though there are exceptions, most periodical articles
JJ II tend to be no more than fifty pages.
J I Periodical articles are organized into issues. When you pick
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up a copy of Time magazine, you are holding an issue of the
periodical entitled Time. Often, especially in more scholarly
periodicals, the articles in an issue of a periodical will all have
a common theme. For example, an issue of English Journal
frequently devotes an entire issue to a topic, such as student
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assessment
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JJ II
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Notice the terminology used. Popular magazines are usually

JJ II called magazines. Scholarly journals are usually called schol-
J I
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arly journals. Scholarly journals are also sometimes called aca-
demic journals.
There is a subset of scholarly journals called peer-reviewed
journals. In order to be published in peer-reviewed journals, the
articles must be approved by recognized experts in the field that
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the article discusses.

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6.4.5. Formats of information sources

Information is published in a range of formats and it is impor-
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tant to select and use, these appropriate to your needs. What

you use will depend on your circumstances, including the time
and technology available. There are three main formats namely,
JJ II print, electronic and audio-visual.
J I • Print materials
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– Print is simply paper (hand copy) form of informa-
tion. Books, serials periodicals, official publications
and some specialized sources are usually published
print form.
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• Electronic
– Electronic information resources refer to anything that
is recorded, stored and retrieved using computer tech-
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nology; Examples of electronic information sources

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include CDs, DVDs and all online sources including

searchable databases.
• Audio-visual

JJ II – Audio-visual (AV) resources consist of sound and vi-

J I sual images. These include item such as television
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programmes, motion pictures, music recordings and
slides. It is however important to note that the in-
formation you seek may exist in any one or more of
these formats. While more and more information ex-
ist in electronic and audio-visual formats, significant
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amounts of information are readily (and sometimes

only) available in print format.
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We have greater access to a wider array of information sources

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than ever before, below is a list of the main types of sources

which may be available in print, audio-visual, and/or electronic
formats;
• Books -One of the most commonly used information sources,
JJ II books can be either fiction (i.e. a work of imagination) or
J I non-fiction (i.e. fact-based). Non-fiction books provide in-
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depth detail on a subject or a general overview; therefore
it is important to think about how much information you
want before choosing a book. Most books will have con-
tent pages, indexes and chapter headings which will help
you quickly evaluate whether or not it meets your needs.
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It is also important to remember that, for printed books at

least, the publication process can be lengthy, so you need
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to check that the information contained is current enough

for your needs.
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• Reference works- These include dictionaries, encyclope-

dias, almanacs, bibliographies and directories. Many of
these reference works are now available online as well as in
JJ II hard copy and are excellent for finding introductory infor-
J I mation, topic overviews, definitions, statistics, facts and
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signposts to other information sources quickly.
• Serials -Also known as periodicals include newspapers, mag-
azine and journals –any material that is published at reg-
ular intervals. They are excellent sources of current infor-
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mation presenting the latest thinking in easily digestible

chunks. However, the short length of most articles often
prevents the author from exploring the subject in great
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depth. Newspapers and magazines are aimed at a more

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general readership, while some serials cover a wide subject

area, and other (such as trade publications) focuses on a
particular subject or industry. As with books, many se-
rials are also published electronically (online). Some are
JJ II free to access while others require a subscription.
J I • Websites -A website is a collectio0n of web pages which
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reside on the “World Wide Web". Thousands of new web-
sites are created every day, offering a vast quantity of in-
formation of varying value. On the one hand this great,
as it means most of the information you need is at your
fingertips. However, if your search terms are vague, the
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quantity and quality of information returned can be ei-

ther overwhelming or disappointing. Well-defined search
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strategies and excellent evaluation skill are required to use

the internet effectively.
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• Official/Government publications -These include parlia-

mentary publications such as legislation bills, Acts of par-
liament and statutes, debates, gazette notices and reports,
JJ II and non-parliamentary publications which are produced
J I by government departments, Ministries and other official
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bodies – these may include books, articles, press releases,
newsletters, reports and statistical information. Most of
these official publications are published by the Govern-
ment Printer. They can also be found online in official
websites.
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• Specialized Sources -Specialized sources provide unique,

scholarly or historical valuable information. Examples in-
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clude conference papers, theses, dissertations, private pa-

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pers, diaries, manuscripts, letters, photos, maps, pam-

phlets etc.
• People -People, especially those with unique experience or
expertise are a valuable, but frequently overlooked source
JJ II of information. If you know the right people to talk to,
J I they can often provide you with the information you need
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quickly and easily, thus saving valuable research time and
effort.

• Where to Find Information Sources:

The starting points for looking for information are:
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1. Human sources
2. Archives
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3. Libraries
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4. Internet
• Human sources (Colleagues/Peers)
Communication with colleagues and peers are a good way of
JJ II obtaining information. For example doctors have been found
J I to rely on their colleagues for information in order to solve a
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patient’s problem. The value of informal sources of information
especially colleagues and peers cannot be overstressed. The good
side of it is that colleagues and peers are readily available to pro-
vide needed information at the right time. If the right person is
contacted, quality and up-to-date information will be obtained.
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The problem of using human sources is that there may be some

element of bias in the information provided or some people will
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say things from their own point of view or exaggerate it.

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• Archives
Archives are places where records of all types and formats are
kept and made accessible for research and other purposes. They
are a good place to find primary sources, both unpublished ma-
JJ II terials and those that have been published for their parent insti-
J I tution’s members or domain. Personal and institutional records
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of all types can be found in archives, as well as media, oral his-
tories and even artifacts. The term ‘archives’ can also refer to
the records themselves. The materials housed in the archives are
unique. Archives store, preserve and make accessible records of
enduring value that have not been produced in great quantities
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for the general public for research and understanding. Archival

materials are rare and irreplaceable and therefore are not loaned
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out to users.
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• Libraries
When you think about libraries, the first things that come into
mind are probably printed materials such as books, journals and
magazines. Libraries also provide access to electronic resources
JJ II such as full-text journal articles, periodical indexes and encyclo-
J I pedia and other online reference sources. Libraries collect qual-
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 CILS 2101
ity information in a wide variety of formats. Academic libraries
purchase these sources for their “community” of students and
staff. Unlike archives, libraries have mass produced items such
as books, journals, magazines, government reports, multimedia
and audio-visual materials, manuscripts and other special collec-
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tions such as maps and rare books. These resources are different
from most of the information that is freely available to you over
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the internet because they have been reviewed and recommended

by the library with input from the faculty members. The main
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purpose of libraries, particularly university libraries, is to collect

a large quantity of scholarly materials from different time peri-
ods and on diverse topics to make research and teaching easier
JJ II for the university community. Library materials unlike those
J I found on the internet, go through a review process. Librarians
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select books, magazines, journal databases and even Websites
for use by their patrons. This selection process enables the li-
brary to collect resources considered to be reliable, relevant and
valuable. In addition, library resources are organized by sub-
jects thus making them easy to find. For easy access, each item
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of library material has a call number that indicates where it is

located on the library shelf. With the advent of the electronic
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age, some of these are now accessible through digital libraries

collection on the Web. Libraries also have trained staff – Librar-
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ians who serve as a bridge between the users and information

sources. They assist users in sorting through the maze of infor-
mation in their library collections. Librarians answer reference
JJ II questions and also help the library users to learn how to use new
J I information tools. If you need help with accessing information,
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 CILS 2101
contact your librarian.
The Internet and the World Wide Web The internet is a
global system of networked computers that allow user-to-user
communication and transfer of data files from one computer to
another on the network. It is a worldwide system of computer
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networks – a network of networks in which users of one com-

puter can, if they have permission, get information from any
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other computer( and sometimes talk directly to users at other

computers) on the network. On the other hand, the World Wide
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Web (WWW) provides the technology needed to navigate the

internet is vast sea of resources. The WWW is a pathway of
accessing information over the internet via Universal Resource
JJ II Locator (URL) or web address. Almost all information obtained
J I from the internet is free. For example, you can access general
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information such as local and national news, weather, sports etc
from popular portals. You can access government information
and notices from various governmental websites and even you
can obtain specific information like statistical data and financial
reports of business corporations. Furthermore, there are some
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websites that provide free application programs for your down-

load. However, some websites require your subscription and
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fee if you want to access a particular type of information (can

you think of some examples). On the other hand, all library re-
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sources are not free. The University library has purchased a wide
variety of printed resources, reference tools and has subscribed
a variety of electronic databases for the JKUAT community.
JJ II
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Study Questions

Example . What is the definition of “information literacy”?

How would you define “information” in a college context? What
do you know about the term “literacy”? How do you think these
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two words work together to form one concept?

Solution: nhfdhfh 
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Exercise 1.  Differentiate between primary sources, secondary

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sources and tertiary sources of information?

Exercise 2.  What are the two characteristics of primary
sources? Give two examples of primary sources.

JJ II Exercise 3.  What are four characteristics of secondary sources?

J I Give at least two examples.
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Exercise 4.  What are two characteristics of tertiary sources?
Give two examples
Exercise 5.  What are the characteristics of a scholarly jour-
nal?
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References:
1. Rieding, A.M. (2006). Learning to learn. A guide to be-
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coming information literate. New York: Neal-Schuman.

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ISBN: 978-15557055 5
2. Diana, Hacker (2006). Research and documentation in
electronic age. Boston, MA: St. Martins. ISBN: 978-
031265572 2
JJ II
J I 3. Hart, Chris. (2006).Doing a literature search: a compre-
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hensive guide for the social sciences. London: Sage. ISBN
978-076196809-2
4. Turabian, Kate L. (2013) A Manual for writers of term pa-
pers, theses and Dissertations, 8th ed. Chicago: Chicago
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University Press. ISBN: 978-022681637 1

5. O’Leary, Zina. (2010) The essential guide to doing your
research project. Los Angeles, CA: Sage, ISBN: 978-1-
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84860-010-2
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6. American Psychological Association (2010). Publication

manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th
Edition. Washington, DC: Author. ISBN: 978-143380559
2
JJ II
J I 7. Sen, L., (2006) Communication Skills. New Delhi: Pren-
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tice Hall of India. ISBN: 978-8120333017
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JJ II
J I
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