LEARNING

REFERENCE
MATERIAL
TOPIC THREE

ATENEO DE DAVAO UNIVERSITY

SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Table of Contents

1 Introduction

2 The Information Seeking

Process and the Standards

3 Branches of Knowledge

4 Information Format and

Timeline Stages

5 Classification and Characteristics

of Information Sources

6 The Library vs the Internet

7 Criteria for Evaluating Websites

INFORMATION LITERACY
Introduction
Information Literacy refers to the abilities to recognize when information
is needed and to locate, evaluate, effectively, and responsibly use, and
communicate information in its various formats.
(UNESCO MIL Curriculum for Teachers)

Every day we encounter an increasingly large and diverse sea of information

through the Web, mass media, and published works. You can find information in
many different formats, from an endless number of sources. The quality of
information varies greatly between the available information choices. Just think
of a typical internet search; it is common to retrieve authoritative, current, and
reliable sources alongside biased, outdated, misleading, or false sources.
Furthermore, an online search is likely to result in more information than can be
effectively handled. The sheer amount and variety of information available to us
makes information literacy competencies important to master!

Information literacy skills are vital to success in your personal, professional, and
academic life. In senior high school, you use these skills to perform well on
research papers, projects, and presentations. At work you will likely encounter
situations where you must seek out new information to make logical decisions. In
the home, you are constantly faced with deciding consumer issues or forming
opinions on social and political topics. Each situation requires engagement in the
information literacy process.

INFORMATION LITERACY
The Information
Seeking Process
Information can come from virtually anywhere: personal experiences, books,
articles, expert opinions, encyclopedias, the Web.

The type of information needed will change depending on its application.

Individuals generate information daily as they go about their work.

Information Literacy in general may be broken down in three steps:

ACKNOWLEDGING
INFORMATION
NEED

REFINING THE
RESEARCH
QUESTION

KNOWING
WHERE
TO LOOK

INFORMATION LITERACY
Information Literacy is a
process - not just a skill.
Because information now comes in many different forms and its quality varies
enormously, students need to develop the cognitive, transferable skills to be able to
work efficiently with information. Finding and evaluating information has never been
more important; nor has the need to develop skills in the ethical use of information, in
order to mitigate against plagiarism.

In a simpler framework below, the following are the performance indicators. Note that
it’s almost parallel to the framework earlier but this time it particularly includes the
INCORPORATION of selected information into one’s knowledge base.

This means that people are not Tabula Rasa or blank slates when it comes to
acquiring information. Human intelligence build on previous information to process
new information.

(SOURCE: Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education, 2015) UNDERSTAND
USE the economic,
INCORPORATE information legal, and social
selected effectively to issues
EVALUATE
ACCESS information accomplish a surrounding the
Information
specific use of
DETERMINE the needed and its into one’s
purpose information, and
extent of information sources knowledge

access and use
information effectively critically base

information
needed and ethically and

efficiently
legally

INFORMATION LITERACY
Standards Explained
Information literacy is a lifelong learning process, something
beginning before you arrive at college and developing as you
grow. Why did we mention college? Because you need to do an
undergraduate thesis in college. It's important that you develop
these skills and start hitting the standards. While each skill is
individually important, understanding how they fit together is
essential to becoming an information literate person.

IDENTIFY

The information literate student determines the nature and extent of the
information needed.

FIND

The information literate student accesses needed information effectively and

efficiently.

EVALUATE

The information literate student evaluates information and its sources critically
and incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge base and value
system.

APPLY

The information literate student, individually or as a member of a group, uses

information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose.

ACKNOWLEDGE

The information literate student understands many of the economic, legal, and
social issues surrounding the use of information and accesses and uses
information ethically and legally.

INFORMATION
INFORMATION LITERACY LITERACY 01
INFORMATION
SOURCES
Information Literacy is therefore a COGNITIVE SKILL that you need in your other subjects
and in daily life. In academic institutions, staff and students consult various sources of
information. The choice of the source to be consulted is usually determined by the type of
information sought.

Thus, the QUALITY and QUANTITY of an information source may be based on its SCOPE
and DEPTH and according to BRANCHES of KNOWLEDGE, TYPES AND FORMATS of
media, and CHARACTERISTICS OF THE INFORMATION used.

Any media and information may be

assessed for its SCOPE and DEPTH
NA
For example: D R
OA

RO
Covers
A newspaper is BROAD because it has
BR

only one
Covers a

W
many different sections covering various specific
lot of topics
topics while a magazine like Men’s Health aspect of
the topic
is NARROW because it has more specific
content.
A lot of
Feature articles in a magazine may have Brief entry
SH

information
DEEPER information while some news
EP
articles in the broadsheet are SHALLOW.
AL

LO
Read the other LRM on short content W DE
vs deeper knowledge found in Topic 3

INFORMATION LITERACY
BRANCHES OF
KNOWLEDGE
If you do a search, there are many different versions on how to classify the
branches of knowledge. But to put it simply, we can group them into three
categories:

Those branches of knowledge that concern themselves with human

beings and their culture or with analytic and critical methods of
inquiry derived from an appreciation of human values and of the
unique ability of the human spirit to express itself.

As a group of educational disciplines, the humanities are

distinguished in content and method from the physical and
biological sciences and, somewhat less decisively, from the social
sciences. The humanities include the study of all languages and
literatures, the arts, history, and philosophy.

Aany discipline or branch of science that deals with human

behavior in its social and cultural aspects. The social sciences
include cultural (or social) anthropology, sociology, social
psychology, political science, and economics.

Also frequently included are social and economic geography and

those areas of education that deal with the social contexts of
learning and the relation of the school to the social order.

Any system of knowledge that is concerned with the physical world

and its phenomena and that entails unbiased observations and
systematic experimentation. In general, a science involves a pursuit
of knowledge covering general truths or the operations of
fundamental laws.

But now, science is accompanied by three other disciplines.

The Tech Boom of the 1990s and 2000s brought us a modern-day
Sputnik call—this time, in the form of a percolating tech explosion
so considerable it demanded that educators shift their focus once
again. And that instructional shift had a name: STEM

STEM education creates critical thinkers, increases science literacy,

and enables the next generation of innovators.

INFORMATION LITERACY
INFORMATION
FORMAT
In information terms, format refers to specific ways information is organized, packaged, and
distributed for us to use. In other words, format is the type of source we’re using. When we look
for information, we usually make use of a bunch of formats, like books, magazine articles, and
scholarly journal articles. These are all different ways information is put out into the world and
shared, and each method of sharing has its own properties. Because creating these sources
involve specific steps that relate to time, depth, and how the content is evaluated, we can say
that a format, a specific type of resource, is the result of a process.

We can also categorize sources by publication format. That’s because of the difference in time
and effort sources in each format require for their production. Sources in particular formats
simply cannot exist until there has been enough time for people to create them. Sometimes the
information presented in the later formats is more valid and reliable that what is in those
produced earlier. This is explained by the INFORMATION TIMELINE.

INFORMATION LITERACY
MULTIMEDIA
FORMAT
Multimedia is anything and everything that you watch and listen in a form of text,
photograph, audio, video and many. It is content that uses a combination of different
content forms such as digital text, audio, images, animations, video and interactive content.

Multimedia contrasts with media that use only rudimentary computer displays such as text-
only or traditional forms of printed or hand-produced material. This means that it is usually
recoded and played, displayed or accessed by information content processing devices
such as computerized and electronic devices.

Hence, multimedia appeals to our heterogenous set up nowadays especially in online

classes. This is the most available form of media and is a very good tool in teaching most
of the topics. For instance, using only textbook used only one form of media, that is visual.

Having said that, using multi

media and information has
pros and cons especially to
the youth today.

One of the disadvantages is

the development of short
attention span of students.
Many of them cannot focus
on lecture because they get
bored when they only listen to
long lectures.

INFORMATION LITERACY
INFORMATION LITERACY
CLASSIFICATION / CHARACTERISTICS
OF INFORMATION SOURCES
It is nearly impossible not to categorize information. Categorized information allows us to make
quick assumptions about the information’s intended audience, authorship, content, language,
and purpose. These judgments help us to choose the correct information type to meet our
academic, professional, and personal information needs. Different assignments require
information from a variety of sources; therefore, you need to understand where to go to find
certain types of information. Is this what you need?

FACTUAL information ANALYTICAL information

is what is done, happened, or existing.
For example are news accounts or
reference entries of the World Trade
Center terrorist attack on September
11, 2001 or Typhoon Ondoy in
September 26, 2009; Almanacs usually
provide such information.
Factual information is information that
solely deals with facts. It is short, non-
explanatory, and rarely gives in-depth
background on a topic
is an interpretation of facts. For
example, the analysis of the data on
Hurricane Katrina is considered to be
analytical information; or this Editorial
about Yolanda
Analytical information is the
interpretation of factual information.
What does the factual information
mean? What does it imply? This is
the type of information that
researchers generate in their studies.

INFORMATION LITERACY 01
CLASSIFICATION / CHARACTERISTICS
OF INFORMATION SOURCES
Generally, Objective Info Sources are Factual but Subjective Info Sources may be a combination
of Facts and Analysis
OBJECTIVE information
is when you present all sides of a topic
or an issue, including facts. For
example, if you are doing research
about the use of marijuana as a
medicine, you consider both the
benefits and the side effects of the drug
on the patients. Encyclopedias,
textbooks, and other similar sources
provide you with such information and
therefore it is a good starting point for
writing a research paper
Objective information is information
that is understood from multiple
viewpoints and presents all sides of
an argument.
Example: While April enjoys zombie films, many
people find them violent, pointless, and
unnecessarily gory.
Example Objective Resources: Books, Journal
Articles, Newspapers, Library Databases including
Opposing Viewpoints and Facts on File.
INFORMATION LITERACY
ANALYTICAL information
does not present all sides of a topic
but could be helpful if you recognize
the bias and know what you are
looking for. For example, information
presented by Pro-Duterte blogs is
considered subjective information
since they are advocating for their
partisan views only. Blogs are
generally subjective.
Subjective information is
information from only one point of
view. Opinions are always
subjective.
Example: Z-Nation was an entertaining show that
should have never been canceled.
Example Subjective Resources: Websites,
Blogs, Social Media, Non-scholarly Books and
Journals. Book Reviews.
01
CLASSIFICATION / CHARACTERISTICS
OF INFORMATION SOURCES
Is Google Scholar an academic source? No. Google Scholar is an academic search engine, but
the records found in Google Scholar are academic sources.

SCHOLARLY information POPULAR information

is intended for academia. They are
cited, verified, and peer-reviewed. They
have tables & graphs and data
presented in scientific jargon such as
academic journals and technical
reports written by experts.
is intended for general audience. They
may be verified but not peer-reviewed.
They have pictures and videos.
Examples of these are general news,
business, and entertainment
publications

INFORMATION LITERACY 01
CLASSIFICATION / CHARACTERISTICS
OF INFORMATION SOURCES
Generally, LIBRARIES update their collection with the newest edition from authors. Some
MUSEUMS hold ANTIQUATED books and of course ARTIFACTS.

CURRENT information HISTORICAL information

is the most up-to-date information:
content that is published weekly,
monthly, quarterly, annually; New, up to
date, present state of affairs, scientific
discoveries
is from an historic time period to
provide a backdrop or global
perspective for a topic. It’s information
about the past and how ideas
developed at a specific time

When to use Historical and Current information for research…

Always look at the publication date and think critically about whether you need the
most current information, historical information, or both. This can be discipline based:
In the physical sciences, the most up-to-date information is often needed,
The health sciences frequently need current information, but retrospective
searches are also necessary particularly in biomedicine
In the humanities, historical information may be the most important.
In the social sciences, historical and current information are equally important.

For example:
If you are writing a paper on new methods to treat cancer, the most current
information would be the most useful.
However, if you are interested in cancer treatments during the middle ages, you
will probably need to review historical information.

INFORMATION LITERACY 01
PRIMARY, SECONDARY,
or TERTIARY sources
Sources of information or evidence are often categorized as primary, secondary, or tertiary material.
These classifications are based on the originality of the material and the proximity of the source or
origin. This informs the reader as to whether the author is reporting information that is first hand or is
conveying the experiences and opinions of others which is considered second hand. Determining if a
source is primary, secondary or tertiary can be tricky.

The distinction between primary, secondary and tertiary sources hinges on how far from the original
event or phenomenon the information source is created. Is it first-hand knowledge? A second-hand
interpretation? A third-hand synthesis and summary of what is known?

Primary sources are created as close to the original event or phenomenon as it is possible to
be. For example, a photograph or video of an event is a primary source. Data from an
experiment is a primary source.
Secondary sources are one step removed from that. Secondary sources are based on or about
the primary sources. For example, articles and books in which authors interpret data from
another research team's experiment or archival footage of an event are usually considered
secondary sources.
Tertiary sources are one further step removed from that. Tertiary sources summarize or
synthesize the research in secondary sources. For example, textbooks and reference books are
tertiary sources.

Below is a table of examples across differebt disciplines.

INFORMATION LITERACY
MORE EXAMPLES
INDIGENOUS MEDIA & KNOWLEDGE
The terms traditional knowledge (TK), indigenous knowledge (IK), and local knowledge generally
refer to knowledge systems embedded in the cultural traditions of regional, indigenous, or local
communities.

Traditional knowledge includes types of knowledge about traditional technologies of subsistence

(e.g. tools and techniques for hunting or agriculture), midwifery, ethnobotany and ecological
knowledge, traditional medicine, celestial navigation, ethno-astronomy, the climate, and others.
These kinds of knowledge, crucial for subsistence and survival, are generally based on
accumulations of empirical observation and on interaction with the environment.

In many cases, traditional knowledge has been orally passed for generations from person to
person. Some forms of traditional knowledge find expression in stories, legends, folklore, rituals,
songs, and laws. Other forms of traditional knowledge are expressed through different means.

From captivating colors

and patterns to fibers and
threads mesmerizing to
the touch, weaving
speaks such a sensorial
story of the Philippines. It
preserves the history and
culture of indigenous
communities all over the
country, and it puts on
full display the sheer
beauty of Philippine
fabrics and ingenuity of
our weavers.

Indigenous media may be defined as forms of media expression conceptualized, produced,

and circulated by indigenous peoples around the globe as vehicles for communication,
including cultural preservation, cultural and artistic expression, political self-determination,
and cultural preservation, cultural and artistic expression, political self-determination, and
cultural sovereignty.

Indigenous media overlap with, and are on a spectrum with, other types of minority-
produced media, and quite often they share a kinship regarding many philosophical and
political motivations.

INFORMATION LITERACY
LIBRARY vs
INTERNET
In short, a particular information may come from any category of knowledge which can be
broad or narrow, deep or shallow, factual or analytical, objective or subjective, depending on its
type and format which can be primary, secondary, or tertiary, as well as scholarly or popular,
current or historical with the format being printed, electronic or other.

So the next question is, where are you going to find them?

Undeniably as a senior high school student, you are part of the Google Generation. You are a
DIGITAL CITIZEN. The library is a strange old building for a young person like you. But there’s
a debate whether the internet can replace the brick and mortar libraries to get information.
Let’s compare and contrast its STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS according to the kind of help
you can get and reliability:

THE LIBRARY THE INTERNET

In the library, the staff can help you
find what you need quickly and
efficiently.
The books and periodicals in the
library have gone through a screening
process for accuracy and reliability.
The publishers decided that the works
were worth publishing, and the library
decided that they were buying.
But sometimes, the library may not
own the particular book or periodical
you need
Use the library for basic information
The printed page is static; but reading
an entire book or play on screen is
difficult.
Use a book when you need to study
an entire work.
Use the library offers reliable
comprehensive, and readable,
sources.
On the Internet, you are on your own,
and it is easy to get caught in the Web.
On the Internet, anyone can publish
anything. No one monitors the content
for credibility or accuracy. You may
find interesting nuggets on the Internet,
but you are the one who has to decide
whether a Web site is credible. Begin
your basic research in the library; use
the Internet to add details.
Relatively few books are available on
the Internet but the full texts of most
periodical articles are available online
only for a fee or through databases.
On the Internet, the information is
always there. Moreover, you can
access information from all around the
world and online reference documents
may be updated more frequently than
the ones on the library shelves.
Use the Internet for up-to-the-minute
news or data.

INFORMATION LITERACY
The INTERNET is now
the norm THE INTERNET
Hypertext Web documents are
interactive and searchable
Searching for a particular word or
phrase in an Internet document, for
example Shakespeare’s play is much
faster and more efficient that searching
through a book line by line
Use the Internet to locate a particular
piece of information in a large
document
The Internet offers convenient,
worldwide, current, and interactive
material

Types of Information Retrieved

INTERNET SEARCH ENGINES ONLINE LIBRARY DATABASES
Few free scholarly journal articles and Scholarly journal articles
books. Popular magazine articles
Popular web sites (e.g., Wikipedia, Newspaper articles
Facebook) Reference book articles (e.g.
Commercial web sites (e.g., eBay, directories, encyclopedias)
Amazon) Books
Educational web sites (e.g., University No sponsors or ads
of Kansas, University of Chicago)
Government web sites (e.g., Library of
Congress, Kansas.gov)
Statistics (e.g., U.S. Census Bureau)
Organizational web sites (e.g.,
American Psychological Association)
Current news & information (e.g.,
CNN)
Email, chat (e.g., Gmail, Facebook
Messenger, Google Talk)
Many sponsors and ads

INFORMATION LITERACY
Internet Search Engines
vs Library Databases
INTERNET SEARCH
ENGINES
When you need to find
credible information quickly.
Best for personal information
needs including shopping
and entertainment.
Lack of control allows
anybody to publish their
opinions and ideas on the
Internet.
Not evaluated (for the most
part); Need to carefully
evaluate web sites for bias,
accuracy, and
completeness.
Many sites are not updated
regularly and can become
outdated.
Less ability to search for
and retrieve precise
results using search
engines like Google.
Need to wade through
a “grab bag” of results
(meaning: handful of
random results)
INFORMATION LITERACY
INFORM
LIBRARY
DATABASES
Best for college level
research.
When you have time to
WHEN TO USE more carefully evaluate
information found on the
open web.
Articles and books written
by journalists or experts in
a professional field.
All material in database is
CREDIBILITY / evaluated for accuracy and
credibility by subject
REVIEW
experts and publishers.
PROCESS Reviewed and updated
regularly.
The organization and
various search capabilities
of library databases allow
users to search for and
USABILITY
retrieve focused and
relevant results.
 INTERNET SEARCH LIBRARY
ENGINES DATABASES

Most information found Library database

through a search engine is subscriptions are paid for
free. through your tuition
Library databases cannot be COST / You may access the
accessed through search ACCESSIBILITY ADDU databases from
engines or the open web. off-campus anytime
Many web sites found
through Internet search
engines contain licensed,
proprietary information and
require you to logon with a
user account. You must
already be a member or pay
for a subscription in order to
access the material from
these web sites.

Published content from

Web site content can often
journals, magazines,
change.
CONSTANCY / newspapers and books
Web pages and sites may
does not change.
disappear for a number of PERMANENCE
Most material remains in
reasons. May not be able / STABILITY database for a significant
to retrieve the same
length of time and can be
content at a later time.
easily retrieved again.

Most web sites found on Many databases include a

the open web do not citation tool that will
provide a citation tool or an automatically generate an
already formatted APA or APA or MLA style
MLA style reference for the reference for the article
CITING
web pages on their site. you select. You may still
You will need to start your need to “tweak” this
citation from scratch using citation but these tools
APA or MLA style manuals serve as a good starting
or handouts from your point for citing your articles
instructor or the library. in a particular format.

INFORMATION LITERACY
Know your CRAAP when
EVALUATING WEB SITES
Because of the large variety of information sources available to you, it is often hard to tell if the
information you are accessing is reliable or useful. Since you should never automatically accept
the information you are retrieving as credible, accurate, or unbiased, how do you find the most
trustworthy resources? You may not be a subject expert in the area you are researching, but
there are a number of basic things to look for to help you evaluate the credibility of an
information source.

After finding a source that is relevant to your topic, your detective work begins. Librarians and
other experts pre-select materials available from the library. However, anyone can write and
publish information; books are often self-published, newspapers publish opinions, magazines
may reflect bias, or an interview you watch may not be from the most knowledgeable person on
a subject. Websites in particular can be tricky to assess. The ease of posting material online
makes it easier to find information, but not so easy to evaluate it.

To determine whether a site’s contents (or any media’s contents – books, newspapers,
television, etc.) can be trusted, it is best that that you carefully evaluate the site.

In 2002, the CRAAP test was developed by librarians at CSU Chico, after the request that there
needs to be an assessment test for students to determine their fluency in important sources.

INFORMATION LITERACY
Recommended Sites for Fact Checking
Common Sense Media is an organization that reviews and provides
ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing
information on their suitability for children.

VERA Files is a media nonprofit that probes

Philippine issues and fact-checks false and
misleading claims.

An independent, nonpartisan website, Snopes is run by professional researcher

and writer David Mikkelson researches urban legends and other rumors. It is
often the first to set the facts straight on wild fake news claims.

While not a fact-checking site, AllSides curates stories from

right, center and left-leaning US-based media so that
readers can easily compare how bias influences reporting
on each topic.

The TotooBa.Info Fact-Checking Repository was developed under

the Philippine Fact-Checker Incubator (PFCI), a project
implemented by Internews. The TotooBa.Info Fact-Checking
Repository gathers all fact-checking pieces produced ABC-CBN
News, MindaNews, Philstar.com, PressOne.PH, and Probe.

This nonpartisan website where Internet users can

quickly and easily get information about eRumors, fake
news, disinformation, warnings, offers, requests for
help, myths, hoaxes, virus warnings, and humorous or
inspirational stories that are circulated by email.

Tsek.ph is a collaborative fact-checking project for the 2022

Philippines’ elections. It is an initiative of academe and media to
counter disinformation and provide the public with verified
information. Tsek.ph builds on its success as a pioneering
collaborative project in the 2019 elections.

This Pulitzer Prize winning website rates the accuracy of claims by elected officials.
Run by editors and reporters from the independent newspaper Tampa Bay Times,
Politicfact features the Truth-O-Meter that rates statements as “True,” “Mostly
True,” “Half True,” “False,” and “Pants on Fire.”

FactRakers is a Philippines-based fact-checking initiative of

journalism majors at the University of the Philippines-Diliman.
FAIR USE DECLARATION
This Learning Resource Material constitutes Fair Use
of Copyrighted Works as defined in Sec. 185 of RA
8293, which states, “The fair use of a copyrighted work
for criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching
including multiple copies for classroom use,
scholarship, research, and similar purposes is not an
infringement of copyright. xxx”

SOURCES

Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education

Seminole State Library Research Foundation
The Library and Information Association
UNESCO MIL Curriculum for Teachers