Students Lack Research Skills (though they may not think so!)
Did you know that ...
Most students still use Google as their primary source of information for papers and projects? That's what they tell us year after year.
Most lack basic information literacy skills including the ability to:
Develop an appropriately scaled research topic, neither too broad nor too narrow.
Use scholarly information, rather than non-authoritative web-based information, to form ideas.
Efficiently and effectively search for appropriate information in a variety of locations (library catalog, databases, Google Scholar, suitable websites) for their research needs.
Understand that first attempts at searching do not always produce adequate results.
Evalute all resources for currency, relevance, authority, accuracy, and purpose to determine its suitableness for inclusion in their research.
Give credit to the original ideas of others through proper attribution and citation.
Synthesize ideas gathered from multiple sources to draw reasonable conclusions based on the analysis and interpretation of information.
Recognize that a given scholarly work may not represent the only or even the majority perspective on the issue.
Understand that research and writing are iterative processes.
Seek guidance from experts, such as librarians, researchers, and professionals on a routine basis.
