Information skills

Investing time in developing your information skills will help you to:

• search sources effectively, using a range of techniques
• decide which resources are most useful for your piece of work.
• reference work properly, and avoid plagiarism

Resources to help you include:

• SAFARI - an online tutorial that will help you develop your information skills. You can test your progress with activities throughout the tutorial. And, if later you feel the need to review or revise key topics mobileSafari allows you to do this "on the move" via your mobile phone or PDA.
• How To... guides - includes information on referencing, searching for information etc.
• Info-Rate - review your information skills. An online tool designed to help Open University students and staff review and develop their information skills. It consists of four short questionnaires, each covering a different aspect of information skills.
• Information skills for researchers. A website specifically designed for postgraduate researchers (i.e. students completing their Masters, EdD or PhD qualifications). It also has a useful section on mind mapping. 
• Associate Lecturer Information Literacy Toolkit. Aims to help OU Associate Lecturers to introduce information literacy to their students and cope with the information literacy-related demands that their students might make of them. It contains help and advice designed for all stages of Associate Lecturers' work with OU students, including advice on appropriate information skills at the different academic levels.
• Live online tutorials via Elluminate.

These may also be of interest:

• Learning with the OU. Will help you plan your studies and develop your study skills. Also provides careers advice.
• PC4Study. Provides hints and tips on using your computer for your OU course.
• Web Guide. A guide for OU students with hints and tips on making effective use of the web.
• The Internet Detective. A free online tutorial about information skills.
• Information Literacy at Learning & Teaching Scotland
• Beyond Google (TU120). This OU course takes a pragmatic look at the information landscape, and provides you with the "survival skills" you need to navigate through it successfully. It's an online short course that runs over 10 weeks.

Information Literacy "is knowing when and why you need information, where to find it, and how to evaluate, use and communicate it in an ethical manner". Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals