Library Class and Subject Guides: Information Literacy Toolkit: Evaluate Information

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Activity Item can be used as a class activity; examples include group discussions and student peer review
Video YouTube video explaining a process, concept or task
Assignment Item that can be used as a graded assignment
Step–by–Step Instructions Text and visuals explaining a process, concept, or task
Teaching Resource Support material for an assignment, activity, etc.
DIY Tutorial Instructions and questions inserted into an actual webpage. Guides user through a process,concept, or task.
Presentation Slideshow explaining a process, concept or task

Competency 4: Evaluate the quality, usefulness, and relevance of the information in order to determine the appropriateness of a source

	Introductory	Intermediate	Advanced
4.a	Differentiate between scholarly (research-based) and popular (informational, summary, or opinion-based) sources	Identify peer-reviewed research	Critique the peer-review process and the use of grey literature

Evaluating Sources

CABLES Assessment Rubrics
Teaching Resource Multiple CABLES rubrics for evaluation worksheets, annotated bibliographies, or adapt them for other assignments.

CABLES Presentation
Presentation This resources walks students through the acronym CABLES and how it can help evaluate sources.

CABLES Problem-Based Learning Activity
Activity Assignment This worksheet can be used as a small group activity considering websites.Change the highlighted areas to designate how many sites to evaluate.
CABLES Source Credibility Worksheet
Activity Assignment This worksheet will help students evaluate sources using the CABLES method.
Characteristics of Academic Information
Activity Assignment In this activity, students compare academic and general information

Determining Peer Review
Step–by–Step Instructions These instructions will help you determine if a journal is peer reviewed or not.
Evaluating Web Resources
Video This video helps you determine if a website is reliable and whether the source is appropriate for assignments.
Identifying Scholarly Info
DIY Tutorial This tutorial will walk you through the differences of scholarly and popular articles by having you look at and compare some scholarly and popular examples.
Identifying Scholarly Information
Video This video explains what makes a source “scholarly,” how these sources differ from more popular information, and how to identify scholarly characteristics.

Identifying Scholarly Sources

Determining Peer Review
Step–by–Step Instructions These instructions will help you determine if a journal is peer reviewed or not.
Identifying Scholarly Info
DIY Tutorial This tutorial will walk you through the differences of scholarly and popular articles by having you look at and compare some scholarly and popular examples.
Identifying Scholarly Information
Video This video explains what makes a source “scholarly,” how these sources differ from more popular information, and how to identify scholarly characteristics.

Information Think Pair Share
Activity This think-pair-share activity helps students to reflect on how information is used in coursework and in everyday life

	Introductory	Intermediate	Advanced
4.b	Apply evaluation criteria such as currency, authority, bias, level, & exploration (i.e. CABLE/s)	Compare/contrast sources (including scholarly articles) using evaluation criteria such as currency, authority, bias, level, & exploration (i.e. CABLE/s)	Evaluate quality of research (including argument, methods, findings, and analysis) within studies

Evaluating Sources

Beyond Fake News: Identifying Problems within Evolving Information Technologies Online
DIY Tutorial This tutorial collection will help you gain an understanding of the complexity of "fake news." Each module will help you understand problems related to fake news and other types of misinformation.

CABLES Assessment Rubrics
Teaching Resource Multiple CABLES rubrics for evaluation worksheets, annotated bibliographies, or adapt them for other assignments.

CABLES Presentation
Presentation This resources walks students through the acronym CABLES and how it can help evaluate sources.

CABLES Problem-Based Learning Activity
Activity Assignment This worksheet can be used as a small group activity considering websites.Change the highlighted areas to designate how many sites to evaluate.
CABLES Source Credibility Worksheet
Activity Assignment This worksheet will help students evaluate sources using the CABLES method.
Characteristics of Academic Information
Activity Assignment In this activity, students compare academic and general information
Create Evaluation Criteria
Activity Assignment This activitiy lets students creat their own website evaluation criteria and test it on a site of their choice.

Assessing Research

Reading Scholarly Articles for Research
Activity Assignment This Assignment walks students through reading difficult scholarly articles.

	Introductory	Intermediate	Advanced
4.c	Select sources based on relevance to topic and assignment	Select sources that best meet an information need based on the audience, context, and purpose of various formats	Select sources that best explain the research question(s) and impact in the discipline

Using Scholarly Sources

Supporting your Topic with Scholarly Sources
Video This tutorial is designed to help students deal with difficult and specific research. Namely, we will be looking at how to work those specific articles into a basic research project, even when the article doesn’t entirely match your topic.

Reading a Scholarly Article Assignment
Assignment This assignment sheet has students selecting and evaluating a single article. Easily modified.

Reading Scholarly Articles
Video This video discusses why scholarly articles are so difficult to read and provides students with tips for to approach reading scholarly articles.
Reading Scholarly Articles for Research
Activity Assignment This Assignment walks students through reading difficult scholarly articles.

Using Annotated Bibliographies

Annotated Bibliography Assignment
Assignment This assignment helps students summarize the main points of a source, describe a source, work with evidence, and create citations.
Rubric for Annotated Bibliography Assignment
Teaching Resource Rubric for the Annotated Bibliography assignment above.

What is an Annotated Bibliography? Video
An overview of using annotated bibliographies.