Library: CREDO Information Literacy Videos: CREDO Reference Information Literacy Videos

Getting Started with Research

Video: Life in the Information Age Technology is changing the way we locate, analyze, and share information. Use this video to introduce students to the evolving information landscape and their roles as responsible information consumers and creators.
Video: The Research Process Part 1 (Pre-Research) and Part 2 (In-Depth Research, Outlining, and Writing Use this video to demonstrate the value of pre-research. Students will learn how to align their initial exploration to their assignment requirements.
Video: How to Narrow Your Topic Do your students have trouble selecting a topic for a research assignment? This video will outline the process to help students hone in on a compelling research topic with appropriate scope using strategies like strategic searching. Students will also understand the importance of open mindedness and flexibility in the research process.
Video: Beginning Research with Wikipedia/Google Part 1 (Getting Started with Wikipedia/Google) and Part 2 (Transitioning from Google/Wikipedia to Databases) This video will help students understand the process of background research by introducing techniques for gathering background information using Google and Wikipedia.
Video: Thesis Statements Use this video to help students identify the purpose of their research efforts and construct evidence-based statements. Students will learn how to narrow in on a topic, conduct background research, and synthesize the existing body of evidence in order to craft a compelling argument.
Video: Creating a Research Plan Information overload can be a major roadblock in the research process. This video will help students conceptualize a research pathway and consider solutions to common research challenges.
Video: Framing a Problem If your students are having trouble formulating a research question for assignments, start with this video to help students begin the framing a problem. Students will learn the importance of asking open-ended questions and how to approach research as a process.

Evaluating Information

Video: What is Authority? Use this video to introduce students to the concept of authority, how it relates to research, source selection, evaluation, and attribution.
Video: Introduction to Bias This video introduces the idea of bias and prejudice and the importance of awareness of one’s own bias and the bias of others when evaluating sources and situations, and responding to arguments.
Video: Types of Bias This video builds on the introduction to bias video by discussing specific types of bias such as social bias, confirmation bias, and communal reinforcement.
Video: Evaluating Sources Use this video to encourage students to think critically about the information they encounter in print and online. Students will become familiar with strategies for evaluating sources based on these criteria: authority, accuracy, currency, relevance, and objectivity.
Video Tutorial: Understanding Misinformation This video will help students identify the characteristics and purpose of misinformation as well as its effect on their personal and academic lives.
Video: Introduction to Fact-Checking Everyday we look to sources like the news to help us make decisions. But how do we know if the information presented is accurate? Depending on the type of publication (books, magazines, newspapers, online articles, official reports, etc.), a fact-checker, or team of fact-checkers, may have spent time reviewing the information to verify its accuracy. Not all publications have a dedicated fact-checker; in fact, more and more publications are spending less time and resources on fact-checking because of the fast pace of news and ease of finding information online. Nevertheless, fact-checking is an important process to ensure readers get information that is accurate and trustworthy. The following video will give you a foundational understanding of fact-checking in information creation and how it is used to evaluate published claims. You’ll learn how to use professional fact-checking techniques to evaluate the reliability of sources—and the accuracy of their claims—that you come across in class and in your daily life.

Visual and Quantitative Literacy Section

Video: Searching for Images To be an effective communicator using visual information, students first need to develop the skills necessary for locating images. Use this video to introduce students to strategies for locating images and get familiar with image databases or subject-specific collections accessible through the library.
Video: Interpreting Images Interpreting visual information is a critical skill students will use beyond their academic careers. Use this video to encourage students to ask questions and consider context when interpreting visuals.
Video: Why Does Visual Literacy Matter? This video will introduce students to the role visual materials play in their daily lives and the skills they will need to communicate quickly and universally using images and media.
Video: Using Quantitative Data Use this video to help students incorporate quantitative data in their research and evaluate available sources for currency, accuracy, authority, relevance, and objectivity
Video: Evaluating Statistics Statistics are widely used to support arguments and positions. Use this video to encourage students to think critically about how the statistics they encounter were created and used to convey information.
Video: Geographic Literacy