Research Guides: Information Literacy in the Curriculum: Information Creation as a Process

Format as Process

Learning Goals

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.

Assignment Ideas (UW Research 101)

1. Use the following table to describe source types:

Type/Format	How it is created?	Who is able to create it?	Is there a review process? Should there be?	What is the best use of the information from this format?	How can I locate information in this format?
(example: blog)

2. Assign students to identify the format of the sources they find for a given research project and articulate why the chosen formats are appropriate for the information need.

3. Ask students to transform information they have created in one format to another format, and to write a reflection on what they needed to consider as they went through the process.

Assessment Questions (UW Research 101)

These questions can be added to Canvas as a graded homework assignment. A librarian embedded in your course can create, grade, and provide feedback.

Tweets may be a valuable source of information for certain topics.

True/False

What is a reason that using a news story would be better than a scholarly source in an academic paper? (choose as many as you think apply)
1. The scholarly community has not examined your topic.
2. You don’t have enough time to find out if researchers have looked at your topic.
3. You are examining the popular perception of a topic.
4. There is a local event that you are using as an example within your research
How might you share your original undergraduate research?
1. At a conference
2. On a department blog
3. In a scholarly journal
4. All of the above