Global Studies Research Guide: Information Literacy

• define different types of authority, such as subject expertise (e.g., scholarship), societal position (e.g., public office or title), or special experience (e.g., participating in a historic event);
• use research tools and indicators of authority to determine the credibility of sources, understanding the elements that might temper this credibility;
• understand that many disciplines have acknowledged authorities in the sense of well-known scholars and publications that are widely considered “standard,” and yet, even in those situations, some scholars would challenge the authority of those sources;
• recognize that authoritative content may be packaged formally or informally and may include sources of all media types;
• acknowledge they are developing their own authoritative voices in a particular area and recognize the responsibilities this entails, including seeking accuracy and reliability, respecting intellectual property, and participating in communities of practice;
• understand the increasingly social nature of the information ecosystem where authorities actively connect with one another and sources develop over time;
• develop and maintain an open mind when encountering varied and sometimes conflicting perspectives;
• motivate themselves to find authoritative sources, recognizing that authority may be conferred or manifested in unexpected ways;
• develop awareness of the importance of assessing content with a skeptical stance and with a self-awareness of their own biases and worldview;
• question traditional notions of granting authority and recognize the value of diverse ideas and worldviews;
• are conscious that maintaining these attitudes and actions requires frequent self-evaluation.

Global Studies students,

• Will recognize cultural expertise and political expertise as forms of authority
  • For example, a student majoring in animal science and in REL 250 (World Religions) would recognize different authorities on dairy production recognizing that authorities in Hindu communities would recognize different values in raising cattle
• Will evaluate sources in terms of the cultures and languages involved, not just their own
  • For example, a student examining land use in the Black Hills of South Dakota might use sources presenting the capitalist perspecive in which parcels of land can be bought and sold by individuals or corporations as well as sources from the native persepective in which the land is sacred and tied to cultural identity, spirituality, and community well-being and will evaluate the sources from within their own perspectives
• Will understand that sources of information may be formally or informally presented and that informal sources such as websites may be more readily accessible for some regions
  • For example, students looking at the response to COVID-19 by different countries will find that some countries kept official counts and were more vigorous in counting cases while other countries had more lax counting policies and reported their statistics less formally
• Will understand that they are developing their own authoritative voice and increasingly recognize the value of perspectives from different countries and cultures
  • Students will increase the variety of perspectives they use and value throughout their education
  • While students might specialize in a particular area of the world, they will recognize and understand an increasing number of cultures within that area
• Will understand the importance of the ethical use of information and will consistently cite their sources and follow intellectual property laws
  • Students will not plagiarize information from others or themselves
• Will critically evaluate information based on multiple views
  • Students will be able to evaluate information presented to them from different perspectives and will be able to use the information appropriately

• give credit to the original ideas of others through proper attribution and citation;
• understand that intellectual property is a legal and social construct that varies by culture;
• articulate the purpose and distinguishing characteristics of copyright, fair use, open access, and the public domain;
• understand how and why some individuals or groups of individuals may be underrepresented or systematically marginalized within the systems that produce and disseminate information;
• recognize issues of access or lack of access to information sources;
• decide where and how their information is published;
• understand how the commodification of their personal information and online interactions affects the information they receive and the information they produce or disseminate online;
• make informed choices regarding their online actions in full awareness of issues related to privacy and the commodification of personal information;
• respect the original ideas of others;
• value the skills, time, and effort needed to produce knowledge;
• see themselves as contributors to the information marketplace rather than only consumers of it;
• are inclined to examine their own information privilege.

Global Studies students:

• Know to and how to give credit through attribution and citation
  • For example, a student writing a paper will use in-text citations within their paper and include a full citation in a works cited list
• Understand that intellectual property is a legal concept that varies by country and a social construct that varies by culture
  • For example, a student studying abroad will understand that they must abide by accepted practices and laws in the country they are studying in including copyright laws
• Understand basic concepts within U.S. copyright law including defining copyright, knowing the rights of a copyright owner, and how they are allowed to use information including fair use, open access, and the public domain
  • A student will know that they own the copyright to the papers they write for their classes
  • For example, a student will  be able to make an informed decision on whether they can make copies of an article to share with their class members as part of a session they are leading; they can do a fair use evaluation, find an open access article, or one in the public domain
• Understand how copyright rights and restrictions affect access to information unequally
  • For example, a student will recognize that they are slightly disadvantaged when the university does not have the sources they need for thier paper but that they can get the sources using interlibrary loan
• Understand how their online interactions are commodified
  • For example, a student will understand how accessing information on a particlur topic from their computer will influence the advertisements they see on that computer

• cite the contributing work of others in their own information production;
• contribute to scholarly conversation at an appropriate level, such as local online community, guided discussion, undergraduate research journal, conference presentation/poster session;
• identify barriers to entering scholarly conversation via various venues;
• critically evaluate contributions made by others in participatory information environments;
• identify the contribution that particular articles, books, and other scholarly pieces make to disciplinary knowledge;
• summarize the changes in scholarly perspective over time on a particular topic within a specific discipline;
• recognize that a given scholarly work may not represent the only or even the majority perspective on the issue;
• recognize they are often entering into an ongoing scholarly conversation and not a finished conversation;
• seek out conversations taking place in their research area;
• see themselves as contributors to scholarship rather than only consumers of it;
• recognize that scholarly conversations take place in various venues;
• suspend judgment on the value of a particular piece of scholarship until the larger context for the scholarly conversation is better understood;
• understand the responsibility that comes with entering the conversation through participatory channels;
• value user-generated content and evaluate contributions made by others;
• recognize that systems privilege authorities and that not having a fluency in the language and process of a discipline disempowers their ability to participate and engage.

Global Studies students,

• Understand that no research stands on its own and acknowldeges the research out of which the current work grows
  • For example, a student will include in text citations and a works cited list of all the research that influenced the student's product
• Critically interact with contributions made to the scholarly conversation
  • For example, a student will respectfully present flaws or issues with existing information and present multiple points of views
• Identify individual pieces of information used from sources
  • For example, a student will provide in text citations for every piece of information used from another source and will understand that they strengthen their own work by acknowledging the work of others
• Recognize the changes in perspective in the literature over time
  • For example, as part of the literature review, a student in GEOG 320 (Regional Geography) might acknowledge that the oldest geographic sources on the geography of Jeju Do (island between Korea and Japan currently part of South Korea) focus on mapping and describing the island while more recent geography looks at the cultural and physical elements of the island including the climate and terrain
• Recognize that any given work does not represent the only view on a topic or even the majority view
  • For example, a student writing from a liberal institutionalism view on whether international institutions in global governance will find literature providing realism and neorealism viewpoints and will include this literature in their paper with arguments about why their liberal viewpoint is better

• articulate the capabilities and constraints of information developed through various creation processes;
• assess the fit between an information product’s creation process and a particular information need;
• articulate the traditional and emerging processes of information creation and dissemination in a particular discipline;
• recognize that information may be perceived differently based on the format in which it is packaged;
• recognize the implications of information formats that contain static or dynamic information;
• monitor the value that is placed upon different types of information products in varying contexts;
• transfer knowledge of capabilities and constraints to new types of information products;
• develop, in their own creation processes, an understanding that their choices impact the purposes for which the information product will be used and the message it conveys;
• are inclined to seek out characteristics of information products that indicate the underlying creation process;
• value the process of matching an information need with an appropriate product;
• accept that the creation of information may begin initially through communicating in a range of formats or modes;
• accept the ambiguity surrounding the potential value of information creation expressed in emerging formats or modes;
• resist the tendency to equate format with the underlying creation process;
• understand that different methods of information dissemination with different purposes are available for their use.

Global Studies students,

• Will understand different types of sources and the pros and cons to those types
  • For example, a student in POLS 253 (Current World Issues) may use a news article from a newspaper from Brazil about Brazilians' debt load for information on the current situation while using academic articles about debt for more accurate, scholarly information on the concept of debt
• Will understand how the creation process of a source affects the product and uses appropriately produced sources
  • For example, students use news sources of different types such as newpapers, websites, and social media to keep up to date on issues on areas of interest while using scholarly sources for papers and books for broader overviews of new subjects
• Will recognize that how information is packaged may influence perception
  • For example, if a student in SOC 350 (Race and Ethnic Relations) uses statistics on the web to show the percentage of Xhosa politicians in South Africa compared to the percentage of politicians from the tribes that make up the Xhosa group and then explains where the statistics come from and how they were generated to demonstrate the validity of the statistics
• Will trasnfer knowledge about sources of information to new products
  • For example, a student in Span 359 (Hispanic/Latinx Experiences in the US) knows that information obtained from Facebook and Instagram may be culturally valuable in recording experiences of a population but is not always factually accurate can use that knowledge when finding similar information from a new social media source
• Will demonstrate in their own work that they understand that the sources they choose to use will impact their work
  • For example, the student above in Span 359 explains clearly in their paper when and why they are using examples from social media and articulates the disadvantages of using information from those sources

• formulate questions for research based on information gaps or on reexamination of existing, possibly conflicting, information;
• determine an appropriate scope of investigation;
• deal with complex research by breaking complex questions into simple ones, limiting the scope of investigations;
• use various research methods, based on need, circumstance, and type of inquiry;
• monitor gathered information and assess for gaps or weaknesses;
• organize information in meaningful ways;
• synthesize ideas gathered from multiple sources;
• draw reasonable conclusions based on the analysis and interpretation of information;
• consider research as open-ended exploration and engagement with information;
• appreciate that a question may appear to be simple but still disruptive and important to research;
• value intellectual curiosity in developing questions and learning new investigative methods;
• maintain an open mind and a critical stance;
• value persistence, adaptability, and flexibility and recognize that ambiguity can benefit the research process;
• seek multiple perspectives during information gathering and assessment;
• seek appropriate help when needed;
• follow ethical and legal guidelines in gathering and using information;
• demonstrate intellectual humility (i.e., recognize their own intellectual or experiential limitations).

Global Studies students,

• Will formulate their research questions based on existing sources
  • For example, a student with roots in Soviet Europe taking HIST 445 (Nazi and Soviet Europe) may use their family history and explore their family history in that particular environment
• Develop an appropriate scope for their research
  • For example, a student in AIS/HIST 368 (History and Culture of the American Indian) may want to write on the Pueblo Indians but, as they research will narrow their topic down to the distinctive style of pottery of the Pueblo Indians then narrow even further down to the Acoma Pueblo pottery
• Are able to conduct complex research by breaking the complex questions into multiple simpler ones
  • For example, a student might investigate Swiss notions of national identity and neutrality and how those notions shaped political discourse and social cohesion during world War II by breaking the topic down into multiple questions about Swiss culture and politics during the period
• Use different research methods depending on their need
  • For example, a student will be able to use a general database to find a few articles on a topic they have a passing interest in but will be able to use multiple specialized databases to find multiple types of articles to find more indepth information for a more formal information need such as a research paper
• Recognize gaps and weaknesses in the information gathered
  • For example, a student will be able to recognize that their existing information does not cover one element of their topic well and will be able to find further information to fill in that gap or will be able to articulate the gap and suggest further research in the area
• Organize information in meaningful ways
• Synthesize ideas from multiple sources
• Draw reasonable conclusions based on all information garnered
  • For example for the last three, a student writing a paper will present their information in a logical order, will present the information from multiple sources as a cohesive whole, and will provide their own conclusions based on that information

• determine the initial scope of the task required to meet their information needs;
• identify interested parties, such as scholars, organizations, governments, and industries, who might produce information about a topic and then determine how to access that information;
• utilize divergent (e.g., brainstorming) and convergent (e.g., selecting the best source) thinking when searching;
• match information needs and search strategies to appropriate search tools;
• design and refine needs and search strategies as necessary, based on search results;
• understand how information systems (i.e., collections of recorded information) are organized in order to access relevant information;
• use different types of searching language (e.g., controlled vocabulary, keywords, natural language) appropriately;
• manage searching processes and results effectively;
• exhibit mental flexibility and creativity
• understand that first attempts at searching do not always produce adequate results
• realize that information sources vary greatly in content and format and have varying relevance and value, depending on the needs and nature of the search
• seek guidance from experts, such as librarians, researchers, and professionals
• recognize the value of browsing and other serendipitous methods of information gathering
• persist in the face of search challenges, and know when they have enough information to complete the information task

Global Studies students,

• Identify any parties including scholars, organizations, governments, etc. that might produce information on the topic
  • For example, a student in REL/PHIL 454 (Environmental Ethics) might identify Henry David Thoreau, John Muir, Aldo Leopold, Arne Naess, James Lovelock, Peter Singer, Val Plumwood, Bruno Latour, Timothy Morton among others as major thinkers in the field; Nordic countries, Germany, France, Canada, and New Zealand as countries that are progressive in environmental practices; Sustainable corporations on TIME & Corporate Knights rankings and other rankings
• Use divergent and convergent thinking skills to search for information
  • Students will brainstorm ideas of where they might find information (divergent thinking) and the choosing the best sources from all sources found (convergent thinking)
  • For example, students might brainstorm to come up with the list of environmental philosophers, governments, and organizations, and determine which of them are the most likely produce information useful
• Determine the best search tools and strategies to use
  • For example, students will develop searches using techniques such as Boolean connectors, truncation, and wildcards that will find relevant information
  • For example, students will use general and specialized databases relevant to the topic being searched
• Refine their needs and searches based on previous results
• Understand how information systems are orgnized to efficiently find relevant infomration
  • For example, students will be able to find and use relevant subject headings as well as limiters and expanders
• Are able to use different types of searching languages such as subject headings, keywords, geographic limiters, etc.
• Manage searching process and results
  • For example, students will log their search sessions so they know what they have searched and where and what results they got
  • Students may also use a citation manager such as EndNote or Zotero