INFORMATION

LITERACY

2017/2018
 SECTION A - Understanding
Information
I. What is Information?
II. What is Information
Literacy?
III.Information Sources
IV.Publication Formats
SECTION B - Information
Retrieval and Evaluation of
Information
I. What is Information

Retrieval?

II. The Library Catalogue

III.Information Strategy
Section C - Ethical Use of
Information
I. Plagiarism
II. Intellectual Property
A. Copyright
B. Patents
III. Referencing
A. APA Citation Style
B. Son of Citation Machine
Topic I - What is
Information?
 What is Information?
 Information is the means through which knowledge is
communicated. It is how you find out what you want to
know. You can use information to answer questions
that are both academic and general interest.
 A typical dictionary definition is:
knowledge communicated concerning some
particular facts, subject, or event; that of which
one is appraised or told; intelligence, new. (OED
online)
 You may not realize it but you use sources of
information constantly to make decisions and make
informed judgments.
 What is Information
Cont’ ?
 In reality, information can mean different things to
different people, according to the context in which they
are in. For example:
 Information is the act of telling or imparting

knowledge.
 Information is knowledge acquired from another.

 Information is knowledge you can convey to others.

 Information is facts communicated or learned.

 Information is data interpreted to be useful.

 Information is facts and figures.

 Information is the ‘lifeblood of 21st century society’.

 Information is power.

Information is all these things. What does ‘information’

mean to you?
Topic II. What is Information
Literacy

UNESCO – IFLA, Information Literacy Logo

What then is Information
Literacy?

“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 (2004)
Information Literacy
Skills
 According to CILIP (2004), the skills that
are required to be information literate
call for an understanding of:
A need for information.
 The resources available.
 How to find information.
 The need to evaluate results.
 How to work with or exploit results.
 Ethics and responsibility of use.
 How to communicate or share your findings.
 How to manage your findings.
Why is it important to be
information literate?
 Society has changed from an economy
based on labour and capital to an economy
based on information and knowledge
 There is abundance of information in a
variety of formats but not of the same
quality
 In order for us to survive in this information
and knowledge society
 Being information literate is vital for
successful studies at University
 Why should
students/researchers be
information literate?
 To write an essay

 To write a literature review

 To conduct research

 To write a thesis

 To write an article

 To teach their students after graduation and cope with their

lives

 Any Other?
Topic III. Information
Sources
Types of Information
Sources
 You can think of information in
terms of…
1. Primary sources
2. Secondary sources
3. Tertiary sources
Information sources can be
regarded as primary or secondary
depending on their:
 Originality
 Proximity to the source or event
 Primary sources
 Come directly from the source or person. They are
original materials which have not been filtered through
interpretation.
 Examples
◦ Patents
◦ Statistics, interviews, observations, surveys, memoirs, and
transcripts of speeches
◦ Autobiographies, diaries and original writing
◦ Newspaper articles (when written at the time of an event),
and works of literature
◦ Artifacts such as furniture, buildings, tools and clothes
◦ Photographs, music and artwork
◦ Legislation and law reports
◦ Novels, poems, plays
◦ letters, e-mails, memos, blogs
◦ Reports on experiments
◦ Parliamentary papers and debates
 Secondary Sources
 Secondary sources analyze, interpret and comment on
primary information

◦ Biographies
◦ Journal articles (when they report or summarize the findings of
others)
◦ Books (when the material is drawn from other work and
intended as a topic overview or summary
◦ Technical reports, conference proceedings, newspaper articles
that analyze events
◦ Edited videotapes and audiotapes, handbooks, databases
◦ Newspaper articles that analyzes events
◦ Literature reviews

Note: Your need for primary or secondary sources will depend on

the assignment you have been given.

◦ You may be directed to use only primary sources for your

assignments or both primary and secondary sources
Tertiary Sources
 Tertiary sources consist of information which is a
distillation and collection of primary and secondary
sources
 an index and/or textual condensation of primary and
secondary sources
 usually with references back to the primary and
secondary sources
Examples:
 Almanacs  Encyclopedias
 Bibliographies  Guidebooks
 Chronologies  Indexes
 Dictionaries  Abstracts
 Directories
 Composite Examples

Subject Primary Source Secondary Source Tertiary Source

History Colonial days diary Book on List of Colonial
Independence Governors
struggles
Literature Novel or poem Essay about themes Bibliography of
in the work literature
Political Science Political Party Article about Chronology of
Manifesto formation of Party participation in
elections
Art Painting Critical review of Encyclopedia article
the painting on the artist
Reference Sources
 Reference sources provide access to:
 Background to introductory information
 Topic overviews
 Definitions
 Collections of facts
 Statistics and tables of data
 Paths to other sources of information

 They can be very good for finding factual

information quickly. Be aware that the titles of
reference sources may be misleading. For
example, dictionaries may be called
encyclopaedias and vice versa
Reference Sources -
Characteristics
 Authoritative materials from which
information can be obtained
 They are usually general or subject
specific
 Include reference books, records from
library catalogues, general or subject
specific indexes.
 Meant for consultation for a specific piece
of information.
Reference Sources -
Characteristics
 Not meant for continuous reading.
 A reference source may consist of
disjointed entries of varying length
 They may be brought together mainly
by virtue of alphabetization – lack
continuous exposition.
 In libraries, usually not lent out.
 The entries are well-organized to afford
easy location of required information.
Reference Sources - Examples

Source Definition Use Examples

Abstra A summary of an Find a • Criminal
cts article or paper, summary of Justice
often appearing a journal Abstracts
at the beginning article on a
of the paper. An particular • Ceramic
abstract field may topic and a Abstracts
also be available citation to
in some indexes the full work
 Reference Sources -
Examples
Source Definition Use Examples

Almana An almanac contains provides •The World

cs facts of a statistics, lists, Almanac and
miscellaneous nature figures, tables Book of Facts
and quite often and specific
includes statistical facts in a •The
information relating variety of areas Encyclopedia
to countries, Britannica
personalities, events, Confirm a date, Almanac
subjects and the like. fact or figure
• The World
Often published on Almanac and
an annual or regular book of facts
basis. 2007
 Reference Sources -
Examples
Sourc Definition Use Examples
e
Atlas A collection of Find a map • The times
es maps providing or detailed Atlas of the
geographical illustrations world
and/or spatial of human
information. Also a anatomy. • Atlas of the
collection of human body
detailed
illustrations of
human anatomy
Reference Sources - Examples

Source Definition Use Examples

Biograph A collection of Find • Who’s who
ical essays and personal
sources profiles of profiles • Dictionary of
people's lives National
written, Biography
composed, or
produced by
another.
 Reference Sources -
Examples
Source Definition Use Examples
Bibliograp There are two Find • The new
hies meanings. Firstly, additional Cambridge
a list comprising (a) materials bibliography of
works cited in the on a topic English Literature
text; and (b) other
relevant works • Architecture: a
consulted. Other bibliographic
names for the list guide to basic
included reference works,
‘References’, ‘List histories, and
of References’, or handbooks
‘Sources
Consulted’.
Secondly, a
publication that
Reference Sources - Examples

Source Definition Use Examples

Catalog A list of itemized Used to UEW Library
ues display of titles, search Catalogue
course offerings, through
or articles for the WINNOPAC
exhibition or sale. complete
Usually including collection Catalogue of
descriptive of a drawings by
information or library, old masters
illustrations. The shop, etc
most common
type of catalogue
used is the Library
 Reference Sources -
Examples
Source Definition Use Examples
Dictiona Dictionaries are used for a • The Oxford
ries sources that deal quick search English Dictionary
primarily with all of a word or a • Longman’s
aspects of words topic to find Dictionary of
from proper meaning, Contemporary
definitions to spelling and English
spellings. pronunciation • Collins English
Usually have an also include Dictionary
alphabetical information on • Dictionary of
listing of words parts of Accounting Terms
There are speech or • Dictionary of
general word form and Economics
dictionaries as word origin • A Dictionary of
well as subject- Politics
specific ones. • A Dictionary of
 Reference Sources -
Examples
Source Definition Use Examples
Director The ALA Glossary of Used to find •Exceptional
The Directory of
Children
ies Library Terms names and • Ghana Telecom
defines a directory addresses Telephone Directory
as “a list of persons of people, • Who’s who in the
or organizations, organizatio West
• The WORLD of
systematically ns, Learning
arranged, usually in institutions, • Africa A-Z
alphabetical or companies, Continental and
classed order, etc. Country Profiles
• Medical and Health
giving addresses, Information
affiliations and so Directory
forth…” • Global Guide to
They include International
telephone, fax Business
•Writers Resource
numbers, e-mail
Guide
 Reference Sources -
Examples
Source Definition Use Examples
Encyclo A work containing Typically • World Book
pa-edias informational used to Encyclopedia
articles on subjects find • The Encyclopedia
in every field of backgroun Britannica
knowledge. d • The Encyclopedia
They can be information Americana
general, or subject- on a • Encyclopedia of
specific. subject. Educational
Usually arranged in Technology
alphabetical order. • The Cambridge
Collection of Encyclopedia of
detailed articles on Language
a wide range of • The Cambridge
subjects. Encyclopedia of
Reputed to be the Africa
 Reference Sources -
Examples
Source Definition Use Examples
Handbo Handbooks are A useful • Ghana 1977: an
much the same as reference Official Handbook
oks • A Handbook to
manuals for finding
they are the “how- current Literature
•Handbook for
to-do-it” side of statistics,
Effective Curriculum
ready reference procedures, Development
questions instructions • Handbook on
provide concise or specific Learning Disabilities
data, usually in information •Pesticide Regulation
table or chart form, on a topic. Handbook
on a specialized •Guinness World
subject area Records
constitute a useful • Manual for Writers
of Term Papers,
reference for finding
Theses and
current statistics, Dissertations
procedures, • MLA Handbook for
 Reference Sources -
Examples
Sourc Definition Use Examples
e
Index An index is A list that • Multi-media
es something that can be used indexes, lists, and
serves to guide, to find review sources: a
point out, or information bibliographic guide
otherwise within a • Africa: a guide to
facilitate source reference material
reference, • A rough guide to
especially an electric guitar and
bass guitar
alphabetized list
• Current Index to
of names.
Journals in
An index can be
Education
found at the end • Education Index
of a single-volume • Social Science
 Reference Sources -
Examples
Source Definition Use Examples
Thesauri The term Helps find •Random House
Thesaurus means words to Roget’s College
“treasury”, a express an Thesaurus
• American
“store” or idea for
Heritage
“hoard.” which you
Thesaurus for
Also means a book want to find Learners of English
of synonyms, near a different • Roget’s
synonyms, or an Thesaurus of
antonyms. opposite English words and
A thesaurus can word. phrases
be arranged •Thesaurus of
alphabetically or English words and
by idea or phrases
• Webster’s
concept.
 Reference Sources -
Examples
Source Definition Use Examples
Year An annual First • Minerals year
Books collection of statistical book
and facts, data
annuals photographs or • Eurostat
statistics often yearbook
limited to a
particular • Municipal
country or year book
subject
discipline
Examples reference information
sources Cont’
 Other types of reference sources
are:
 Manuals
 Bibliographic databases
 Maps
Topic IV. Publication
Formats
 Types of Publication
Formats
 Information is published in a variety of
formats.
 It is important that you are aware of the
range of formats available to you and know
how to select and use those appropriate for
your assignment.
 Books  Web pages
 For example:
 Journals  Legislation
 Audio-visual materials  Electronic
 Conference Resources
proceedings
 1. Books (monographs)
 Offer a thorough and systematic
treatment of a subject.
 A library contains different types of books.
They can provide a detailed in-depth
information on a subject or a general
overview. Books are the resources most
people look for first when doing research.
Many books have chapters and indexes
which help you find information contained
within them more quickly.
1. Books (monographs)
 You might use books to:
 Find established theories and facts
 Find classic treatises and works such

as:
 Albert Einstein on relativity
 Karl Marx on politics
 Edward de Bono on thought and thinking
 Find both in-depth discussion and broad
discussion of a topic
 Find historical information.
1. Books (monographs)
 Where can I find a book?

 The University Library holds a wide

collection of print books.
 You can find these via the online
library catalogue (WINNOPAC).
 In the book shop/ vendors.
2. Journals
 Journals are a collective term for
newspaper, magazine, scholarly journals
and reports. Journals may also be known
as periodicals.

 They are published at regular intervals

(e.g. daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly).

 Journals are good sources of current

information, presented in easily digestible
amounts to their targeted readers.
2. Journals
 The library subscribes to a range of
Journals relevant to your studies.

 Some would cover a wide subject area

such as the African Journal of
Interdisciplinary Studies, while others will
be narrowly focused on a particular area
such as the Applied Psycholinguistics.

 Some Journals publish original research

while others comment upon it and publish
summaries.
Journals Cont’
 Where can I find them?
Use the library catalogue to find
out journals subscribed to by the
library.
Use indexes, abstracts, databases
and the Internet.
 Uses of Journals
Material Definition Use to: Examples
Newspapers Newspapers are Find information  Daily Graphic
journals aimed at a about current
general readership and events or items of The independent
are usually issued on a local interest
daily or weekly basis. The Mirror
Content includes news,
editorials, regular Ghanaian Times
columns, cartoons and
advertising
Magazines Magazines are journals Find information The Economist
which are of popular about public
interest and written in sentiment; identify National
non-scholarly language popular trends geographic
and format. Magazines
are usually heavily New scientist
illustrated and contains
advertising. Articles are Newsweek
usually short in length,
do not include
biographies and often
 Uses of Journals Cont’
Materia Definition Use to: Examples
l
Trade Trade publications are journals which Find Retail world
Publicat publish information relevant to a specific information
ions industry. about
industry
trends
Scholarl Journals publish original research and Access • Nature
y commentary on recent developments in Original • Journal of
Journals specific disciplines. When referring to research. science and
journals, the term scholarly, refereed medicine in
and peer-reviewed are often used. sport
Articles published in scholarly journals
report on research or analytical studies
undertaken in a scholarly environment.
Scholarly journals:
 May be per-reviewed or refereed
 Are usually published by an academic
institution, research body, professional
 Uses of Journals Cont’
Materi Definition Use to: Example
al s
Schola Articles published within scholarly Access • Nature
rly journals: Original • Journal
 Often start with an abstract
Journal research of
 Always include footnotes or
s science
bibliographies
Cont’  List the author and their credentials and
pr affiliated institution. medicine
 Often use specialized language in sport
 Assume some scholarly background
on the part of the reader.

Articles published in refereed or peer-

reviewed journals are subjected to a
strict approval process. One or more
experts on the subject act as referees
who review the articles before it is
 3.Media/ audio-visual
materials
 The term audio-visual (AV) material involves sound
and visual images. This includes resources such as
television programs, motion pictures, and music
recordings.
 You might use audio-visual materials for:
 Finding sound and images
 Illustrating presentations
 Viewing and reviewing feature films

 Our collections:
 Video recordings, CDs, and audiotapes.
 Where can I find them?
The library’s audio-visual media materials can be found in
the Video Library at the Main Library (Osagyefo Library)
and other Libraries.
 4. Conference proceedings
and thesis
 Conference proceedings are the published
records of a conference, i.e. papers presented
at a conference, written up and put together as a
single work. They can include abstracts of
presented papers and often fulltext.
 Use conference proceedings to:
 Find the latest original research.

 How do I find them?

 Those held by the library can be found via the Library
Catalogue. Most of the thesis can be found in the
Library’s thesis collections
5. Web Pages
 You can use web pages to find:
 Government information
 Company information
 Technical information(such as software documentation
and help manuals)
 Academic information (such as e-books and e-journals)
 Information published by an individual or group (such
as blogs, MySpace, accounts or wikis)
 Images and multimedia
 Statistics
 and much, much more …
 How do I find them?
 The Library’s portal is a gateway to good quality
academic information obtained via databases, subject
gateways, library catalogues, and e-journals.
6. Legislation and official/
government publications
 Legislation is the collective term for documents
concerned with the Acts, Bills, Regulations,
Statutory
Rules , By-laws and proceedings of Parliament.

 Use these Legislative documents to find

 Current laws and legal records.

 How can I find them?

 Official publications held by the Library are listed in
the Library Catalogue.
Points to Note!
 If you want detailed information,
consult a textbook

 If you want background information on

a topic or about a concept for example,
consult an Encyclopedia.

 If you want to learn more about how to

do something, consult a handbook
Points to Note!
 An index is like a pointer; it will take
you back to detailed content

 Dictionaries provide meaning,

spelling, pronunciation and origin of
words

 Directories provide addresses,

telephone numbers, email addresses
etc. of individuals and workplaces etc.
SECTION B - Information
Retrieval and Evaluation of
Information
I. What is Information

Retrieval?

II. The Library Catalogue

III.Information Strategy
Topic I - What is Information
Retrieval?
What is Information
Retrieval?

Information retrieval is the

activity of obtaining
information resources
relevant to an information
need from a collection of
information sources.
What is Information
Retrieval cont’d?
 Information retrieval can be in two major
forms:
 Manual System
 Electronic System

 Examples of manual system is the library

catalogue, indexes and abstracts,
 Examples of electronic system- online library
catalogue –WINNOPAC, online databases,
library websites, electronic books
Boolean Search Strategy

Boolean search is a type of search

that allows
you to use keywords with operators
such as:
 AND

 NOT

 And OR to further produce more

relevant results.
OR
 OR Logic is most commonly used to search
for synonymous terms or concepts. It
collates the results to retrieve all unique
records containing either or both of them.
 Use OR to broaden your search.

 For example, Salary OR Income.

 Salary 368,000,000
 Income 196,000,000
 Salary OR Income 570,000,000
 AND
 In this search we retrieve records in which both
search terms are present.
 Use AND to narrow your search and retrieve fewer
records.

 For example, Exercise and Health retrieves

records containing both keywords.
 Exercise 52,600,000
 Health 182,000,000
 Exercise AND Health 8,490,000

 You get fewer results the more terms you combine.

 NOT
 In this search we retrieve records with only
one of the terms present, the one we have
selected with our search.

 For example, Eating Disorders NOT Bulimia.

Note that this search shows fewer results for
eating disorders Not bulimia than each term
on its own.
 Eating disorders 232,000,000
 Bulimia 241,000,000
 Eating disorders NOT Bulimia
26,600,000
Combining three (3) terms
for more complex searches
 e-Resources of the
Library
Online Academic Databases:
 Are a web based filing system designed to
store academic information. The database can
be accessed by Web scripts and are purchased
by subscription.
 Accessible from a local network or the Internet.
 Provides access to online journals
Scholarly or peer-reviewed articles written by
experts in academic or professional fields.
 e-Resources of the
Library
Online Academic Databases:
 They are excellent sources for finding

out what has been studied or

researched on a topic.
 To find bibliographies that point to
other relevant sources of information.
 Example:
 EBSCO, Science Direct, Ajol, Emerald, etc.
 e-Resources of the
Library
Accessing UEW e-Resources
 You can access e-resources in two

ways:
1. On- Campus access (without
password):
Simply ...
 Connect to UEW network
 Go to http://uew.edu.gh
 Click on Library
 Click on e-Resources Link
 e-Resources of the
Library
2. Off- Campus access (with
password)
 Connect to the internet
 Go to http://uew.edu.gh
 Click on Library
 Click on the Off-Campus Access Link
 Login with moodle account
 For example:
 Username: 6140210214 (Student ID No.)
 Password: 313620 (Admission No.)
e-Resources of the
Library
e-Resources of the
Library
e-Resources of the
Library
e-Resources of the
Library
 Examples of some
databases
 BRITANNICA ONLINE ACADEMIC EDITION
http://www.search.eb.com
 EBSCO
http://search.epnet.com
 EMERALD PRESS
http://www.emeraldinsight.com

JSTOR (archive)
http://www.jstor.org/logon
 Taylor and Francis Online
https://www.tandfonline.com
 ETC
Topic II - The Library
Catalogue
&

Systems of Classification
Library Classification
Scheme
 Because of the scope and size of even a small
library’s collection a broad classification tool is
needed

 In libraries, materials are grouped on the shelves

by subject. Once you learn how a particular
system arranges its subjects, you would be able
to search effectively for your information needs.

 Different libraries have different systems of

classification but all are based on the subject of
the material being organized. The University
Library System uses the Library of Congress
Classification (LC) Scheme.
TYPES OF CLASSIFICATION
SCHEMES
 Dewey Decimal Classification
 Universal Decimal classification

 Colon classification

 Expansive classification

 Subject classification

 Bibliographic classification

 Library of congress

classification
The Case of UEW

 Most Academic and Research

Libraries including the UEW Library
use Library of Congress
Classification scheme to organize
its collection on the shelves
 This scheme is alpha-numeric
(mixture of letters of the alphabet
and Arabic numerals
How to use the Library of
Congress (LC) Classification
scheme
 The LC scheme is made up
of 21 broad categories.
Using most of the
alphabets, the divisions are
assigned a letter, and then
sub-divided by numbers.
 The main Outline of
subjects in LCCS is as
 follows;
A – General Works
 B – Philosophy, Psychology, Religion
C – History- Auxiliary Science
D – History (General) and History of Europe
 E-F – History; American (Western

Hemisphere)
G – Geography, Map, Anthropology,
Recreation
H – Social Sciences
LCCS CON’T

 J – Political Science
 K – Law in General

 L – Education

 M – Music

 N – Fine Art

 P – Language and Literature

 Q – Science
LCCS CON’T

 R – Medicine
 S – Agriculture

 T – Technology

 U – Military Science

 V – Naval Science

 Z – Bibliography, Library Science,

Information Resources
Missing Alphabets in
LCCS
 A close look at the main outline
shows that some of the letters
have not been accounted for.
 These are ‘I, O, W, X, Y’. These
letters are reserved for new
subject areas as man’s
knowledge expands
SUB-DIVISION 1 IN LCCS

 A combination of two letters is

used to signify the sub-divisions
of the Main Subjects/Outline.

 With the exception of Law

section where the notation can
rise to three letters of the
alphabet.
Random Examples of Sub-
Divisions
 K- Law (General)
 KD- Law of the United Kingdom and

Ireland
 KE- Law of Canada

 KJ-KKZ- Law of Europe

 KJV-KJW-Law of France

 KK-KKC-Law of Germany

 KL-KWX- Law of Asia, Africa etc

Example 2

 L- Education (General)
 LA- History of Education
 LB- Theory and Practice of
Education
 LC- Special Aspects of Education
 LD-LG- Individual Institutions
SUB-DIVISION 2 IN LCCS
 Sub-Division 2 is secured by the use of
Arabic numerals beginning from 1-
9999 with the main division.
 At this stage one or two letters of the
alphabet (or three in the case of ‘k’
Section) and Arabic numbers, up to a
maximum of four digits, make up the
main class of the subject content of
works.
Examples of Sub-
Division 2
 L - Education
 L7 - History, Organizations, etc
 LA13 - Textbooks, Compounds, etc
 LB475 - Individual Educators
 LC1036 - Community Education- General works

 +
 THE LIBRARY
CATALOGUE
 A library catalogue is a register of items in the
collection usually arranged by author, title or
subject. It is an index of the collection of a
library.
 The physical card catalogue has been
replaced with a computerized catalogue called
an Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC).
 Users search a library catalog principally to
locate books and other material physically
located at a library.
OPAC- WINNOPAC

 OPAC stands for Online Public Access

Catalogue.
 An Online Public Access Catalogue (often
abbreviated as OPAC or simply Library
Catalogue) is an online database of materials
held by a library or group of libraries.
 WINNOPAC- University of Education,
Winneba
 Online Public Access Catalogue
HOW TO GET TO WINNOPAC
Go to the University Website www.uew.edu.gh and click on
Library
From the Library’s Homepage, click
“WINNOPAC”
This will then take you to the WINNOPAC
or type in the URL:
http://library2.uew.edu.gh:8080/search/query?theme=UEW
How to search WINNOPAC

 You can use either QUICK SEARCH,

HEADING SEARCH, or ADVANCE SEARCH
to search for a book, journal, report etc

 For a known AUTHOR type the Surname

 For a Known TITLE, ignore articles such as a,

an, the etc at the beginning of the title. E.g.
An introduction to Education, to search this
title Type “Introduction” instead of “An”
 Search Results Screen
 The Search Results screen is the same as the
home page .
 To go to the home page click on Winnopac.
 You can search as a
 Guest
No login is required
Guest Features include Cart, Heading Search,
Search History, Advanced Search, and Clear
Session.
 -OR-

 Registered User
Login is required
Logged-in users may use all Guest Features, except
Clear Session in addition to My Account, My Lists,
Search Results Screen
 From the Search Results screen,
users can:
 Sort results:
 choose a sort criterion using the Sort
by drop-down list box .
 Navigate search results:
 Search results display only 10 results per page.
 When search results include more than 10
results, Click the navigation links at the bottom of
the page to go to the Previous or Next page of
results or to jump to a numbered page of
results.
Search Results Screen
 Thelist of search facets on the left side of
the Search Results screen can help
refine a search.
 Torefine a search, click on a search facet.
For e.g. Shakespeare, William under Author.
 Thenumbers next to each facet indicate
the number of items in the search results
that match that search facet.
 Theresults list will be refined to include
only those items in both the original search
results AND the selected search facet
categories. Search facets change as search
parameters change.
Search Results Screen
 Broadening a Search
 When additional search terms or search
filters are used, a small X ( ) button will
appear next to each search parameter used
and display in the Current Search

 To broaden a search, remove a search term

by clicking the X button next to it. Winnopac
will perform a new search that includes all
of the search terms except the search term
that was removed.
Quick Search
 The Quick Search lets you search an author,
title or subject, with options under which the
search should be conducted

 For a known AUTHOR type the Surname first,

e.g. Aboagye, Festus instead of Festus
Aboagye as indicated below.

 Type a search term(s) into the Search box at

the top of the Search Results screen and click
the Search button.
Quick Search
 Toperform a new search for items by a
specific author click the author's name
under an item's title.
 A Heading Search
 Use the Heading Search link to search
by Author, Title, Subject, User
Defined, or Journal Title.

 In the text box type the search terms

and click the Search button.

 The Heading Search will display cross-

references if they exist for the search
term.
Advanced Search
 The Advanced Search is a keyword search.

 Click on the Advanced Search link next to the

main search box to perform a more detailed
search.

 The Advanced Search screen allows a user to

search for terms in specific categories such as
Author, Title, Subject, ISBN, ISSN, and
Call Number.
Advanced Search
 To perform an Advanced Search:
 Select the search field in the first
drop-down list box.
 Choose the search syntax from the

second drop-down list box.

 Type in a search term in the third

text box.
 Click Search.
Search History
 Users may click on the Search History link to
view current searches.

 To clear the current search history and contents of the Cart,

click the Clear Session link.
 Clicking Clear Session will return the user to the
Search Results screen.
Item Details Screen
 To view more information about an item,
click on the item's title.

 The Item Details screen will display.

Item Details Screen Cont’
 The item information includes: author, publisher, list of
copies, and the location and availability of the copies.
 To perform a search for more items by that author click the
author's name from the Item Details screen.
 Winnopac will then display a Search Results screen
showing all the library's works by that author you
selected.
Adding Items to the Cart
 To add items to the cart:
 Select the Add to Cart button at the top or
bottom of the screen or next to the item.
 A message displays:
Adding Items to the Cart
Cont’
 Items are in the cart remain there until the
browser refreshes or the session times out.
 To view the items in the cart click on the
Cart link to display all the items listed
in the cart during the current session.
Patron Account
 Patron Features include My Account, My Lists, My Tags,
Logout, and Save as My Search.
 A Username and Password are required to login and use the
patron features. Patrons may also use the following Guest
Features: Cart, Heading Search, Reserves Search, Advanced
Search, Request for Purchase, and Search History.

 To register for a new account with the library and create a

valid patron login:
 Click on the Login.
 Click the Create a new account.

 Complete the registration form. The fields marked with an

asterisk (*) are required fields.
Patron Account Cont’
Patron Login
 After registering a system generated password
will be sent to your email account.
 Log in to your account to change this password.
 To login as a patron a username and password
are required. There are two ways to login to
Winnopac as a user:
 The Login link or
 The Account Login section on the left side of the
Search Results screen.
Patron Login Cont’
 To login:
 Enter your library Username in the Username
field and your default password in the
Password field.
 Click Login.

 To change a password:
 Login with the system generated password

from the email.

 Enter the Current Password, New Password,

and Confirm Password.

 Click Save.
 Patron Login Cont’
 If you forgot your password and want to
Request a New Password
 Click on the Forgot your password? link on the
Login screen to open the Reset Password screen.

 Enter your username and email

 Click Reset Password.
 An email is sent to the patron with a new password. A
message displays:
 Patron Login Cont’
 Changing Passwords

 There may be times when a

patron wants to change a
password for personal reasons.
This may be done through the
Contact Information tab.

 To change a password through

the Contact Information tab:
 Click on the My Account link and
then the Contact Information tab.
 Click on the Change Password link
to open the Reset Password
screen.
 Requests Tab
 The Requests tab displays patron requests and shows
the place in the request queue for that item. Requests
are sorted by status. Patrons can Modify, Deactivate, or
Cancel requests from the Requests tab.

 To modify a request, click the Modify button associated

with the item. The Request Details screen opens to
change the Main Location, Pick-up Location or the Last
Needed Date (optional). Click Save after changes are
made.
 Requests Tab Cont’
 To postpone a request, click the Deactivate button
associated with the item.

 Deactivating a request means that the request is

postponed and permits others in the request queue
to temporarily move above the patron above them in
the queue until the patron reactivates the request.
 A message appears near the top of the screen,
notifying a patron that the request has been
deactivated.

 Once a request is deactivated an Activate appears

next to the item.
Requests Tab Cont’
 Click Activate to make the request
current. A message appears near the top
of the screen, notifying a patron that the
request has been activated.

 To remove a request permanently from

the queue, click the Cancel button
associated with the requested item.
The selected item is removed and a
message displays:
Account Tab
 The Account tab shows any outstanding
fees charged to a patron account. Some fees
have a View Note link in the Note column.
How to find a book on the
shelve
 Each book has a call mark, which is
written on either the spine or the upper
left-hand corner of the front cover of the
book.
 The call mark is a location devise, the
address of the book within the library.
 It is made up of the class number and the
author/title mark.
 It is important to copy the entire call mark
in order to find the book, for the entire call
mark identifies one book only.
Topic IV - Evaluating Information
Evaluating Information
Evaluation is the ability to verify or
establish the validity of the information
acquired to be credible, objective,
reliable etc.

 To evaluate a document, use these

criteria
Author
Publisher
Audience
Evaluating Information
Date
Currency
Content
Scope
Bias

 For websites stability of the

webpage should also be considered.
 Author
Authors may be individuals, or they may be
organizations.
When evaluating a source, the first thing you
should figure out is:
 Does the author have the expertise or the
authority
to give facts and opinions on this topic?

 We find this out by:

 using a reliable, biographical database – like Who's
Who
 searching the library's catalogue or to see what else
they've published
Author cont’
 Entering the author's name in a search
engine along with 1 of these keywords –
biography, homepage, resume, or CV
 Reading the cover or preface of the book to
find biographical data (if it's a print resource)
 Checking the header or footer of the Web
page to find the sponsoring organization (if
it's a Web resource)
 Checking the Web page URL for 1 of these
domain names - .gov (government), .edu
(education), .org (organization
 Publisher
 Publishers influence the material you find on-
shelf and on-line .
 They package and distribute material that will:
 Promote the publisher's interests and/or
attract readers.
 When evaluating a source, find out:
 What individual or group is bringing this material to
you?
 Find this out by: looking for the publisher's mission or

purpose statement
Publisher cont’
 Looking for the list of editors who
reviewed the material before
publication

 Searching the library's catalogue to see

what else they've published

 Entering the publisher's name in a

search engine along with one of these
keywords – homepage, about us,
contact, or official
 Date
 We need to evaluate a material by :
 Searching the library catalogue to get the latest
edition of a particular book or the latest publication
on a particular topic
 Studying the citation in the author's text and
bibliography to see how current his/her sources were
 Referring to the packaging or first screen of an
electronic database to see what period of time its
contents cover
 Checking the Web page or the site's homepage for
the date the material was created and last updated
1. Currency
 The type of publication you choose will depend upon the
assignment or problem you are trying to solve.
 Are you looking at a subject with new developments
happening everyday, or will something written several
years ago be appropriate?
 The information in some sources is likely be more current
than others: for example, it is relatively easier to update
World Wide Web pages quickly and frequently, whereas
the publication of a book can take several years.
 When choosing between information sources, you need to
take into consideration how current you need your
information to be.
 Look at the event to publication timeline on next slide and
decide what type of publication might work best for your
work.
 Currency Cont’
Hours to Days to Months Years Years and
days weeks to Years
months
Information As more Noteworthy After some Cumulative
about information events and time, summaries
events is is gathered, ideas will be thorough of a topic of
first documentari analyzed in analysis and the
disseminate es may be depth and discussion of emergence
d through filmed and published as major topics of new
mass media summary scholarly may be terms might
via articles literature published in be published
newspaper aimed at the in journals. a book. in
s, radio, general reference
television public may materials
and the be published (such as
Internet. in encycloped
particular ias and
 Currency of the
information
 Consider your requirements
 Depending on the topic you are researching, it may
be necessary for you to choose a date span for the
information you require. For example, if you need
information on purchasing trends you will need to look
at 5 or 10 years worth of data. Where as if you need
ideas on predicting future technological development
you will need to limit your search to the very latest
information. In order words, some information
remain valid over time, while others information may
become discredited or obsolete.

Tip:
 Currency of information is more important in fields which
are rapidly and continuously developing such as
information technology or business. However, uniqueness
of a topic or in-depth analysis is sometimes more important
than being on the cutting edge!
Currency of the
information Cont’
 Publication Date
 It is important that you can establish when the
information was ‘produced’ or published. When finding
websites, through an internet search, it is not always
possible to determine how up-to-date the information is
because the webmaster has not included a date on the
page. Where this is the case, think critically about what
you read and judge if it makes sense to you. Then try
to find another site that can confirm this information.

Tip:
 Where a site gives a date – check if its an updated date
or create date. Decide if the date given is suitable for
your needs.
2. Thinking it through

Internet Book Journal

Reliability No regulation Quality Quality
controlled controlled

Frequency of Can be Usually Published

Publication published at published only several times a
anytime once year
Level of Material of a Material of a Has articles of a
specification general kind general kind specialised
nature

Summary Can be useful Forms the basis Use more often

but must be of your studies as you progress
treated with with your
caution studies
Content
 Materials are also evaluated by content. We
must make sure:
 The text, statistics, and graphics in a source
must help satisfy our assignment's
requirements.
 Usually, more than 1 source is necessary
and every source should be evaluated.

 When evaluating a source, figure out:

 Does this contain well supported

arguments and
valid research?
Content cont’
 Deciding if a particular bias or a
balanced point of view is given
 Making sure opinions and
conclusions are supported by
sufficient research, statistics, or
other valid evidence
 Scanning the Bibliography to see
what types of sources the author
used
 Reliability of the source
1. Scholarly and refereed sources:
editorial control
 The authority and credibility of the information is
related to the identity of the author(s) and the
publication. The quality of the information may vary
according to the reliability of its source.

 Editorial control
information sources considered ‘reliable’ are
generally those produced under some form of
editorial control. The peer-reviewed journals
published by the like of Wiley, Elsevier and Springer
contain information which is reviewed and accepted
by subject experts prior to publication. Although
publication by a reputable publisher does not
guarantee quality, it does mean that the publisher
has high regard for the work.
Reliability of the source
Cont’
Article can be published in a variety of journals ,
such as refereed journals, scholarly journals, trade
publications, magazines and newspapers.

How do I know if a source is scholarly or

refereed?
If you look closely at your source, for example the
inside cover of a journal (or ‘about’ page), you
should find information about its “authority” , i.e.
about its editorial control and review process.
Ulrichsweb.com (a major journal database) can
also provide you with information about whether a
journal is refereed. The symbol of a football shirt is
used to denote this.
Relevance of the source
 Relevance or articles / websites
 Information such as an article or website
is relevant if it is useful for your
assignment. You can judge if a reference
is relevant by checking:
 The number of times your keywords appear
in the abstract or article.
 The language used in the article – this can
indicate the intended audience for the article,
for example, is it aimed at members of the
public, students or academic researchers?
Relevance of the source
Cont’
 Whether
the information is
comprehensive enough
 Whether the reference complements or
contradicts your own knowledge or
information you may have found
elsewhere.

If the information you have found does

not meet your needs, you will need to
refine your search.
2. Scholarly and refereed
sources : author
 Reputation of the author
Some information sources clearly indicate who is
responsible for the work. This may be an individual
author, a corporate author, or a sponsoring agency
such as an association or organization. Others give
no indication of authorship/ responsibility. Without
the basic knowledge of the author of a work, it is
impossible to determine its authority.

 To establish the author’s reputation carry out the

following checks:
 Look for the author’s biography on the dust jacket of the
book (if available) or in the preface.
2. Scholarly and refereed
sources : author Cont’
 Some Web pages clearly indicate who complied
or produced the information, usually in a link to
About us, or About this site,
 Run a search on the author in a database such as
Web of Science
 If the author is an organization, run a search in a
directory of quality internet sources e.g. Intute

Note:
If you cannot determine who the author is, or their
level of expertise, reconsider the authority of the
resource.
 3. Bias of the source
 “A bias is a prejudice in a general or specific sense,
usually in the sense for having a preference to one
particular point of view or ideological perspective”
Uncyclopedia [accessed 13/09/16]

 “Bias is an inclination or outlook to present or hold a

partial perspective, often accompanied by a refusal
to consider the possible merits of alternative points
of view. Biases are learned implicitly within cultural
contexts.” Wikipedia [accessed 13/09/16]

 In other words when considering if there is bias, look

for the following:
 The purpose of the information
 The coverage of the information
 The language used.
Bias of the source cont’
 What is the purpose of the information?
 Bear in mind that all information has a purpose.
Whether that is to persuade, inform and entice.
Some information is published by authors or
organizations to advocate a particular point of
view. Be aware that this viewpoint may influence
the content of the material. Publications from
these organizations tend to reflect the views of
their members and are less likely to be objective.

 Has information been intentionally or

inadvertently excluded?
 Bias of the source cont’
 Some publications failed to present all the facts or
cover all perspectives. Even if a publication is
scholarly it might be biased. Consider the
following topics. Is it safe to rely on just one
published source?
 testingathletes for “over the counter” medicines
 mobile phones masts and health risks
 the 1966 coup in Ghana
 the Euro and Britain

 It is rare to find all academics in a complete

agreement on a topic. More often academics will
hold differing views and will attempt to support
their hypothesis with research evidence. By
demonstrating a depth of research in your work,
you show consideration for all aspects of a topic
Bias of the source cont’
What kind of language is used?
 Some sources are written in an objective style using language
that is objective and specific. Most academic sources use this
style. Use of emotionally charged language or language that is
vague and general may be a clue that the information is biased
or misrepresents the facts. The style of writing and language
used is usually indicative of the purpose of the information.

Activity
 Visit a web page of your choice

 Evaluate the web page by considering:

 Who has authored this information?
 What the purpose of this information?
 Does the information present all sides of the argument?
 What style of language is used.
 Accuracy of the
information
What makes a piece of information
accurate?
 We think this means that the facts can be
supported by evidence and/or corroborated i.e.
verified by another source.
 You can determine whether information is
accurate by establishing how it was compiled.
You could use the following checklist:

 Does it present research findings and is the research

methodology explained?
 Where there are calculations, are they free from
errors?
Accuracy of the
information Cont’
 Has the information been edited and checked
for spelling and grammatical errors?
 Is it logically structured? Or does it look like it’s
been put together in haste?
 Does it cite the work of others to support or
refute their arguments? If so, are the references
sufficiently detailed to allow follow-up?

 Poor quality information would gloss over

these things or will not provide sufficient
links for you to investigate further.
 Cautionary tales of the web
 The web is the information tool of choice for
most people. It is very easy to search, it can be
used anywhere and there are no passwords to
remember. It will take you anywhere you want
to go – or will it?

 No one search engine searches the entire web.

Users of search engines need to spend a lot of
time thinking critically about the results
presented. Anyone can publish anything almost
with abandon. Don’t be caught out by hoax
or by misleading scholarship.
Cautionary tales of the
web Cont’
 Do not forget to e valuate websites in the same way
you would for books. By way of a reminder, look at the
following checklist:
 Is the data relevant for your needs?
 Are he authors / editors reputable. Check ‘about us’ / ‘about this
site’ to discover who the authors are and what their reputations is.
 Is the information published in a quality source e.g. peer-reviewed
journal?
 Is the item objective or is there inherent bias?
 What form of language is used?
 Does the website display a date when the page was last updated
or created?
 Is the information accurate? For example is the research
methodology explained, are there typos etc.
Conclusion
 We have used the evaluation criteria of
author, publisher, date, content to judge
the value of the publication.

 Evaluating information also encourages

you to think critically about the
relevance, authority, reliability,
currency, accuracy, timeliness, point of
view or bias of information sources
Section C - Ethical Use of
Information
I. Plagiarism
II. Intellectual Property
A. Copyright
B. Patents
III. Referencing
A. APA Citation Style
B. Son of Citation Machine
Topic I - Plagiarism
What is Plagiarism?
 “Plagiarism (either intentional or
unintentional) is the using of ideas or work of
another person (including experts and fellow or
former students) and submitting them as your
own. It is considered dishonest and unprofessional.
Plagiarism may take the form of cutting and
pasting, taking or closely paraphrasing ideas,
passages, sections, sentences, paragraphs,
drawings, graphs and other graphical material
from books, articles, internet sites or any other
source and submitting them for assessment
without appropriate acknowledgement.” (
University of Sheffield, 2013)
Plagiarism, eh? : How to
recognize it and get it out of
your life
 Few people set out to be plagiarists. But for
many students, plagiarism happens.

 Why do we plagiarize?
 We’re pressed for time
 It doesn’t seem like a big deal
 Other people write better than we do
 We’re not sure what plagiarism is all about, so we take
a chance
 We believe most profs don’t have the time to check on
us
 We believe most profs don’t have the Internet skills to
figure out what we did.
 Plagiarism, eh? : How to
recognize it and get it out of
your life
 So What Exactly Is Plagiarism?
 The Oxford English Dictionary defines it as follows:

“The action or practice of taking someone else's work,

idea, etc., and passing it off as one's own; literary
theft.”
(Oxford English Dictionary: http://dictionary.oed.com
)

 Does this mean I can’t quote from or refer to anyone

else’s writing?
 No, it doesn’t mean that.

 You can use other people’s writing if you follow the right rules.
 Plagiarism, eh? : How to
recognize it and get it out of
your life
 When Quoting, you need quotation marks, a
reference, and an item in your bibliography
“Information literacy is the natural extension of the
concept of literacy in our information society.
Information literacy is the catalyst required to
transform the information society of today into
the learning society of tomorrow.” (Bruce, 2002)
Bibliography
Bruce, C. (2002). Information literacy as a catalyst for educational
change: A background paper. White Paper Prepared for Unesco, the
US National Commission on Libraries and Information Science, and
the National Forum on Information Literacy, for use at the
Information Literacy, Meetings of Experts, Prague, the Czech
Republic, 1-17. Retrieved July 14, 2006 from
http://www.infolit.org/International_Conference/papers/bruce-fullpap
er.pdf
Plagiarism, eh? : How to
recognize it and get it out of
your life
 When referring to an author’s work, you don’t
need quotation marks, but you do need a
reference, and an item in your bibliography
Maughan (2001) demonstrates that the information
literacy gap in higher education is leaving university
graduates devoid of the very skills they require to
function well within the information workplace.

Bibliography
Maughan, P. D. (2001). Assessing information literacy
among undergraduates: A discussion of the literature
and the University of California-Berkeley assessment
experience. College & Research Libraries, 62(1), 71-
85.
Plagiarism, eh? : How to
recognize it and get it out of
your life
 The heart of the problem of plagiarism
is MISREPRESENTATION which
breaks all the rules for using other
people’s work.

 In Western Society, a person’s words

and ideas are considered to be the
property of the person who originates
them.
 Plagiarism, eh? : How to
recognize it and get it out of
your life
 Stealing a person’s words is similar to
stealing somebody’s car and impressing your
friends by pretending it’s yours.

 It’s theft, but more seriously, it’s

misrepresentation.

 Any time I leave the impression that the

words or ideas I‘ve written are mine, when
actually they came from someone else, I am
plagiarizing.
Plagiarism, eh? : How to
recognize it and get it out of
your life
 Because passing off someone else’s
words or ideas as your own is
misrepresentation, it is viewed as
academic fraud as well as academic
theft.

 The penalties are severe – anything from

a failed research paper to a failed course
to expulsion from the institution. It’s
that serious.
 Plagiarism, eh? : How to
recognize it and get it out of
your life
Ask yourself:
 So what are the boundaries?
 How do I know when I’ve become a plagiarist?

 Some boundaries are obvious:

 If I copy material from a book or article, don’t use

quotation marks and don’t provide a citation to the
source, I am stealing someone else’s words and
pretending they are mine.
 If I get someone else to write my paper or buy a
paper from a commercial source or simply copy a
whole paper off the Internet, I am clearly plagiarizing.
Plagiarism, eh? : How to
recognize it and get it out of
your life
 Other boundaries are not so clear:

 What if I use a chart or some other graphic

off the Internet, something that isn’t really
words? Is that plagiarism?

 Yes it is. It is still content, even if it

isn’t words. As such, it is the property of
the one who created it, and passing it off
as yours is plagiarism.
Plagiarism, eh? : How to
recognize it and get it out of
your life
 I plagiarize if I take something off the Internet?
But isn’t the Internet free for all? People post
things there so other people can use them.
 Ah, but you’re confusing access and plagiarism.
Even if people give you permission to use their
material, using it without indicating the source
makes it look like it’s your material. That’s
plagiarism.
 What if I take a paragraph of text and just change
a few words to make it my own? Am I still a
plagiarist?
Plagiarism, eh? : How to
recognize it and get it out of
your life
 Yes you are. The problem here is a
subtle one, so let’s try to understand it.

 When you just change a few words, the

structure of the original is still there – the
form of the paragraph, the arrangement
of sentences, the ideas in their sequence.
You may change some of the words, but
you are stealing the structure.
 Plagiarism, eh? : How to
recognize it and get it out of
your life
 What if I don’t use another author’s words at all but I find
an author that has a great idea that I don’t see anywhere
else. Can I use it?
 Only if you create a citation to show that the idea is not
yours but came from this other author. Otherwise you are
stealing an idea.
 We’ve looked at some examples, but what ties them all
together?
 It’s the idea of “Intellectual Property.” What comes out of
my mind and is communicated to others remains my
property. If you use my intellectual property as if it were
your own, you are plagiarizing.
 Plagiarism, eh? : How to
recognize it and get it out of
your life
It’s Starting to Look Like Everything is
Plagiarism

 What can I legitimately use as an information

source without having to make a citation for it?
 Yourown ideas
 Your own analysis/evaluation of other people’s
ideas (once you have provided citations for the
ideas themselves)
 Common knowledge – knowledge that you find in
several sources that are not themselves depending
on a single earlier source
 Plagiarism, eh? : How to
recognize it and get it out of
your life
Tricky Situations and How to Get
Out of Them
1. You are planning to use some material
from a source, but you would rather not
quote from it. Is paraphrasing OK?

 This depends on what you mean by “paraphrasing.”

By its etymology – “para” meaning “with” and
“phrase” meaning (well) “phrase” - a paraphrase is
a phrase by phrase rewriting of text into your own
words (or mostly your own words).
Plagiarism, eh? : How to
recognize it and get it out of
your life
 Here’s an example (using my
own writing so I won’t be
accused of plagiarism)
 Plagiarism, eh? : How to
recognize it and get it out of
your life
The original:

The paraphrase

Study both for a few seconds.

 Plagiarism, eh? : How to
recognize it and get it out of
your life
 The paraphrase you looked at is just a
doctored version of the original, changed a
bit so it looks like something different.

 But the word order, paragraph structure, and

even some of the actual words are the same.

 That’s plagiarism. If you don’t believe it, go

back and look at the previous slide again.
Even with the changes, the whole
paraphrase is still 80% the intellectual
property of the original author.
Plagiarism, eh? : How to
recognize it and get it out of
your life
 How do you avoid the
paraphrasing trap?

Simple. Don’t paraphrase –

INTERPRET!!
 Plagiarism, eh? : How to
recognize it and get it out of
your life
The original

The Interpretation

(Note that very few of the original words were used, that the
interpretation reveals an UNDERSTANDING rather than an IMITATION
of the original, and that the interpretation is considerably shorter
than the original.)
Plagiarism, eh? : How to
recognize it and get it out of
your life
What’s the difference between
paraphrasing and interpreting?
 In paraphrasing, you are rewriting the original
phrase by phrase, sentence by sentence.
 When you interpret, you read the text, step
back and ask, “What is this person saying?”
With interpretation, you are not depending
on what the author said phrase by phrase,
but what the author meant overall.
Plagiarism, eh? : How to
recognize it and get it out of
your life
Here’s a simple example:
Your friend says to you, "I haven’t eaten for
a long time, so why don’t we stop at
McDonalds?" Someone nearby says, "What
does he want?"

Paraphrase: “He hasn’t had a meal for

awhile and wants to go to McDonalds.”
(Changes words but not basic structure. No
attempt to interpret)

Interpretation: “He’s hungry and wants to

get a burger." (Gets at underlying meaning)
 Plagiarism, eh? : How to
recognize it and get it out of
your life
Tricky Situations and How to Get Out of
Them

2. The source you are reading says it much

better than you could. What’s wrong with
using the writer’s words, if they help the
reader of your paper to understand the
situation better?

 There’s nothing wrong with using someone else’s

words, as long as you quote them and create a
citation (note or reference) to the source.
 Plagiarism, eh? : How to
recognize it and get it out of
your life
Better still – Quote a short portion (no
more than 4 or 5 lines) and present the
rest as your own interpretation:

“Quotation, blah, blah.” Brown goes on

to argue that the real answer to this
problem is…etc. (Brown 2004)
 Plagiarism, eh? : How to
recognize it and get it out of
your life
 Don’t fear your own words. Most research papers
major on interpretation rather than quotation, e.g.:

At the graduate level, it appears that students

prefer integrating their information literacy
assignment work with their own projects and that
they value face to face interaction with their
information literacy instructors (Turnbull, Frost, &
Foxlee, 2003; Washington-Hoagland & Clougherty,
2002).

(an interpretation of these sources, rather than a

quotation)
 Plagiarism, eh? : How to
recognize it and get it out of
your life
Let’s Practice: Are the Following
Plagiarism or Not?

 Originalsource: The effort required to provide

online information literacy instruction is intense.

 Yourpaper: The effort required to provide online

information literacy instruction is intense.

 It is Plagiarism - It quotes the source without any

indication that the words are not yours.
 Plagiarism, eh? : How to
recognize it and get it out of
your life
Let’s Practice: Are the Following
Plagiarism or Not?

Original source: The effort required to provide

online information literacy instruction is intense.

Your paper: ”The effort required to provide online

information literacy instruction is intense.”
(Smith 2006, p.42)
 Not Plagiarism - You’ve used quotation marks and cited
the source so that no one believes that these are your
own words
Plagiarism, eh? : How to
recognize it and get it out of
your life
Let’s Practice: Are the Following
Plagiarism or Not?

Original source: The effort required to provide

online information literacy instruction is intense.

Your paper: Smith (2006, p.42) argues that

providing online courses in information literacy
is hard work.
Not Plagiarism - You’ve interpreted without quoting, have
cited your source, and have not used a great deal of the
original terminology
Plagiarism, eh? : How to
recognize it and get it out of
your life
Let’s Practice: Are the Following
Plagiarism or Not?

Original source: The effort required to provide online

information literacy instruction is intense.

Your paper: The work needed to provide online

information literacy teaching is intense.

Plagiarism - Your version is a paraphrase of the

original with a lot of the original terminology still
there as well as the same sentence structure.
Plagiarism, eh? : How to
recognize it and get it out
of your life
To sum up

It’s plagiarism if you use any text or ideas from

another source in such a way that you leave the
impression that the material is yours.

Unless you know the information is common

knowledge (found in several sources that do not
depend on a single original source), using it is
plagiarism

When in doubt, provide a citation.

Plagiarism, eh? : How to
recognize it and get it out of
your life
One more thing:

 You may have heard of people who

plagiarized and didn’t get caught.

 Do professors really check for plagiarism?

 Yes they do, and a surprisingly large

percentage of plagiarism is busted.
Plagiarism, eh? : How to
recognize it and get it out of
your life

Do yourself a big favour:

Keep plagiarism out of

your life.
Topic II - Intellectual
Property
A. Copyright
B. Patents
A. Copyright
What is Copyright?

 Copyright is another form of intellectual

property. It is the legal, exclusive right
that is granted to copyright owners to
regulate the use of their intellectual
creation for a limited period of time.

 Copyright is often indicated by use of

the symbol © that you can see
Features of copyright

 A monopoly created by law to grant

exclusive rights to authors/creators for a
limited time.
 The copyright Act protects original works
of authorship fixed in any tangible medium
of expression.
 For example, music must be recorded,
either as notes on paper or sound on a CD.
 Ideas must be written/typed
Duration of a Copyright

 Copyright typically last for the

author's life plus 70 years.

 If a joint work, the copyright

expires 70 years after the last
survivor's death.
 Eight statutory groups of
copyrights
1. Literary works
2. Musical works, including any accompanying words
3. Dramatic works, including any accompanying words
4. Pantomimes and choreographic works
5. Pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works
6. Motion pictures and other audiovisual works
7. Sound recordings
8. Architectural works

Note:
This lesson focuses on literary works
The COPYRIGHT owner has the
following exclusive rights:
 Reproduce the copyrighted work
 Prepare derivative works
 Distribute copies to the public by sale or other
transfer of ownership, or by rental/lease
 Public performance
 Public display
 Public performance by means of a digital audio
transmission (sound recordings)

Note:
This lesson focuses on the exclusive right to reproduce
copyrighted work
 Limitations on exclusive rights
- Fair Use
 However, under certain circumstances,
using parts of copyrighted works is
considered “fair use,” and is allowable
under the law.

 Example: for purposes of research-

criticism, comment, news reporting,
teaching and learning is not an
infringement of copyright.
Copyright Infringement and
Plagiarism
 Copyright protection is given to
the creator of an original work.
Copyright gives the holder of the
copyright the right to decide when
and how copies of the work can be
made. This copying has to be done
according to certain rules and
regulations laid down by law.
Copyright Infringement and
Plagiarism
 Plagiarism is when you make copies, even
in the correct way stipulated by law and
you use this information in your
assignment, but you do not acknowledge
the source that you have used the source
that you have used.

 This means that you are stealing the ideas

in the work of another person to be able
to do your assignment, and presenting
them as your own ideas.
B. Patents
Patents
 Patents are important sources of
information. A patent is granted to an
inventor by a government to protect
his/her invention. Patents usually refer
to products or processes that contain
new functional or technical aspects.
 A patent is a legal document which protects
an invention from unlawful copying.
 The patent document has to be sufficiently
detailed for someone “skilled in the art” to
re-create that invention.
 Patents Cont’
 They contain very detailed technical information
and sometimes ‘drawings’ such as graphs or
circuit diagrams.
 75%+ of the information found in patent
documents is not available from any other source.

 Why use patents?

 To find out what work has already been done by
others in your field of interest.
 To view highly detailed descriptions, drawings and
diagrams.
Patents Cont’
 To trace historical significance and the
development of technologies.
 To identify experts in a particular area
 To find commercial information- patent
specification can reveal which
companies are active in a particular
market.
 Topic III - Referencing

I. APA Citation Style

II. Son of Citation Machine

http://citationmachine.net/index2.php
`
© William Badke, Updated Version, 2012
Associate Librarian, Trinity Western University, for Associated Canadian
Theological Schools and Information Literacy
7600 Glover Rd., Langley, BC, Canada V2Y 1Y1
Ph. (604) 888-7511, ext 3906
e-mail: badke@twu.ca