Information Literacy Tutorial

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Image credit: library.dmu.ac.uk

Want to be clear about the assignment task?  Then start with the box on the right.  →

What does "critically evaluate" mean?  What am I supposed to do? 

Open the document below to get clarity on a list of well-known task words.

Now let's analyse the following assignment question. Can you spot the "action word" and the important "keywords"?

Discuss how information communication technologies have significantly changed the delivery of higher education in South Africa during the past decade.

You've got it!  Now learn about specifying keywords for your information search below

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Once the main keywords and phrases in the topic are listed, look at each of them and try to generate synonyms, broader, narrower and related terms.

Let’s use the following topic as an example:

 “An analysis of the use of cell phones among urban youth in South Africa”

** The phrase “South Africa” also acts as the geographic limiter, i.e. urban youth in Botswana or the United States may not be included in the information search

Any or all of these alternative terms may be used in different combinations when searching a variety of resources to find relevant information to complete a well-researched assignment.

You're ready for the interactive quizz on the right →