Thing 17 & 18 : Digital Literacy, Reference, and Citation Skills


Thing 17  Critical Digital Literacy

Ethical digital citizens should be able to critically assess and identify the reliability of the information offered from online sources. When finding information on the internet, it is important to be able to judge its accuracy and to establish that the information comes from a reliable and trusted source. 

Consider the following criteria and ask yourself these questions: 

Audience 

  • Who is the website’s intended audience?  
  • Does it appropriately address the target audience? 
  • Is it relevant for your assignment or research? 

Authority 

  • Is the author identified? If the author has chosen to remain anonymous, ask yourself ‘why?’ 
  • Is there enough information provided to establish the author’s credibility? 
  • Are they qualified to write about the subject? 
  • Is the author affiliated to an academic institution or credible organisation? 

If the information is part of a journal or other online publication, you should try to establish the authority of that publication: 

  • Is the publication available through the University Library? 
  • Is the name of the publication obvious? 
  • Are contact details and ‘about’ information provided? 
  • Do you recognise the name of the publisher? 
  • Does it look like a professional publication? 
  • Is the publication referenced elsewhere? 

Accuracy 

  • Has the content been through an editing process or been peer reviewed? 
  • Has the author included a bibliography? 
  • Are the sources cited reliable and can they be verified elsewhere? 

Objectivity 

  • Does the author present objective arguments or make it clear when they are expressing biased opinions? 
  • Are other points of view explored? 
  • Is it a personal website? Does it express personal opinions? 
  • Is the website part of a commercial organisation, a political party or an organisation with a specific agenda? If yes, question the motives for publishing the information. 
  • Does the website promote a biased viewpoint? 

Currency 

  • Can you tell when the information was published? 
  • Is the information up to date? 
  • How frequently is the website updated? 
  • Are the links up to date and working? 

A good website will show when it was last updated or give a clear indication of the timeliness of the information. Working links indicate the website is being maintained and updated regularly. 

Finding and identifying reliable sources 

Knowing what tools are available and how to use them is an important part of locating reliable sources of information. Below are links to two incredibly useful information pages that we recommend all students read and become familiar with using: 

  1. Help searching Library databases & online resources 
  2. Using Google for research 

Understanding what is and is not a reliable source of information and the importance of reliability is another aspect of critical information literacy. Wikipedia has clear guidelines on acceptable sources of information used to create its articles, which are also good guidelines for materials used in assignments: 

  1. Wikipedia: Reliable sources 
  2. Wikipedia: Verifiability 

How to complete Thing 17

Step 1

Choose to explore at least one of either the Library and Google information pages, or the Wikipedia information pages above.

Step 2

Write a blog post reflecting on what you have learned. Have you gained some useful tools for locating reliable sources? Has your view of Wikipedia as a source of information changed? How might this affect your study or the way you interact with digital sources of information? 


Thing 18: Reference and Citation Skills

Academic integrity at the University of Edinburgh means being honest, fair, and responsible in your academic work. It involves giving credit to others for their ideas or work you use and following the rules and ethical standards of the University. 

At university you are expected to read and research, and to use ideas, information, data and a range of other sources in your own academic work and assignments. However, it is important to make clear where each idea or piece of information comes from by providing an appropriate reference in your own work. You need to make sure that your citations clearly link to the correct reference. You also need to make sure that you have citations everywhere they are needed. If you forget or miss a citation, then the impression you are giving is that the work is your own, when it is in fact someone else’s. 

This is called plagiarism and is a form of academic misconduct. Typically, plagiarism is due to unintentional, inadequate referencing, but it can also be deliberate. 

Citation vs Reference 

Citing and referencing demonstrate the breadth of your research and help avoid plagiarism.  

A reference is the full bibliographic or publication details of a citation.  The in-text citation tells your audience that there is evidence to support your point, and the reference gives them all the information they would need to find that evidence and review it themselves.  

This is an example of a citation: 

“You must ensure that any work you submit for assessment is your own. Where your work includes quotations, theories, ideas, data or any other materials which are the work of another person or persons, you must ensure that you have taken all reasonable steps to acknowledge the source. You should ensure that you are familiar with the referencing requirements for your programme of study”. (Academic Services, 2020)  

This is the reference for the source of the cited paper: 

Academic Services (2020) Academic misconduct: Plagiarism, Sep232020. Retrieved Sep 24 2020, from University of Edinburgh: http://www.ed.ac.uk/academic-services/students/conduct/academic-misconduct/plagiarism 

The references of all your citations are normally added at the end of a piece of work. Depending on your discipline and the style you are using this may be called a reference list (or works cited), or a bibliography. Everything you’ve cited in your work must be included in the references or bibliography. In some subjects, a bibliography may also include other sources which you have consulted but have not cited in your work. You need to check the information provided by your course or School about what is required. 

Tips for accurate referencing (PDF) 

Example of a bibliography from the Reflection Toolkit 

Information Services provide access to Cite Them Right online, which offers guidance and examples of how to cite and reference different sources (e.g., journal articles, books, web pages) in different styles. 

Cite Them Right (If you are not on the University network, you will need to log in using your student ID and password.) 

Most word processing software has a citation or referencing function, so you do not necessarily have to format them all yourself. However, you will still need to check that the software has done it properly and in the style that is required. You should be able to find instructions on how to do this in the Help section of your software or by searching online. 

Reference Managers 

You can use a tool like ZoteroBib to create formatted references and build a bibliography that can be copied into other documents.  You do not need to create an account, however if you do not login, your references will not be saved. 

If you want to do more, reference management software can automatically format citations and build a reference list or bibliography for you. They also allow you to store, annotate and group references in your own personal database. The Academic Support Librarians have put together a Referencing and reference management subject guide with information on the different tools and training available. 

 

How to complete Thing 18

Step 1

Go to the Cite Them Right and ZoteroBib (https://zbib.org/) tools and explore how they work.  

Step 2

Write a reflection in your blog on how these tools could be useful in building your academic and research skills. 

Further Resources

Academic integrity (self-enrol course on Learn) 

This course will help you to explore how we teach and learn at Edinburgh.  Some things will be familiar to you, some will be less so – we hope that once you have worked through the materials you feel more confident about achieving your potential during your studies.   

 On successful completion of this course, you should be able to: 

  1. Describe the behaviours and standards of the Edinburgh academic community of which you are part 
  1. Explain why these behaviours and standards are important to your academic community 
  1. Demonstrate that you understand the principles of good academic practise, and how to put them into action in your studies 
  1. Describe the ways in which the University supports these standards 

LibSmart I: your library research starts here 

You will practice core information literacy skills and learn how to find the library support you need, whatever your hybrid model. 

We use a digital-first approach to provide you with key information management skills needed for hybrid learning. You will learn how to access, explore, evaluate, and reference various library resources. You will also explore your own subject pathway and information landscape.  

 Find out more about the LibSmart I course 

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