Students as Researchers

The following toolkits were created at the University of British Columbia and Mount Royal University to help faculty members understand some of the challenges faced by undergraduate students encountering research and academic information. They contain concrete examples of ways to incorporate information literacy into the classroom and assignment design. A few key student challenges highlighted in these guides are summarized below.

University of British Columbia Faculty Information Literacy Toolkit

Mount Royal Information Literacy Guide for Faculty

Most students start their searching in Google; for those who move beyond Google, choosing the right search terms, understanding database functionality, and recognizing a good source when they see one are just a few of the challenges they might encounter. Many students are unaware of tactics like following citation trails, and are unwilling to persevere when an initial search is unsuccessful; students will often change their topics instead of refining their search strategies.
For more information on finding sources
UBC guide
MRU guide

Evaluating Information

As burgeoning scholars, first-year students in particular lack the disciplinary knowledge to know how to evaluate authority in an academic paper. Many students do not even know the difference between a scholarly source and a website, or how to determine which type of source is most suitable to their research question.
For more information on evaluating information
UBC guide
MRU guide

First-year students are not yet familiar with strategies like scanning and selective reading to extract important information from dense academic sources. Many students are surprised by the specific nature of scholarly journal articles, and often seek out articles hoping for general background information that will address their topic more broadly.
For more information on reading scholarly material
UBC guide
MRU guide

Students struggle with integrating academic sources while maintaining their own voice, using proper citation, and drawing on the work of others to support their ideas.
For more information on using information
UBC guide
MRU guide

Librarians can collaborate with instructors to design workshops and exercises tailored to help students improve their research proficiency and practice their information literacy skills. For more information, visit the Libraries’ Faculty Services page.

Based out of the University of Washington, Project Information Literacy (PIL) is an ongoing series of research studies that investigates the experiences of college students in the digital age.
Head, A. J., & Eisenberg, M. B. (2010). How college students evaluate and use information in the digital age.

A report on college students’ research strategies and challenges. Findings suggest that students’ information-seeking strategies are driven by efficiency and predictability.
Head, A. J. (2013). Learning the ropes: How freshmen conduct course research once they enter college.

This research shows that students’ research practices are largely “Google-centric,” that students struggle with finding, reading, and comprehending academic information, and that students are unaware of the library supports available to them.

Dalhousie Libraries’ Core Skills page Handouts, videos, and other resources for students. Themes range from choosing a research topic to reading scholarly works to advanced searching and more.

Online tutorials Short video tutorials on database searching and using other library resources

Ask Us page Students can connect with a librarian for assistance in a variety of ways – in-person, via email, chat, or phone.

Subject guides Subject guides are designed to put students on the right track with disciplinary research. A subject guide has been created for most programs; faculty are encouraged to include them in course syllabi and Brightspace.