About the framework

The Critical Information Practices framework outlines the library’s synchronous teaching and online learning provision. It covers the skills that a researcher might need, and could receive support on, for library research, from searching for and citing sources for an undergraduate paper, through to navigating the publishing landscape as a doctoral candidate.

Why now?

The information environment has quickly changed. Generative artificial intelligence increasingly mediates how research is performed – how we search, read, and write. This has changed everything and nothing. The core principles of critical information use remain as relevant as ever, from planning to find relevant and credible information for a research project, to accurately citing the sources we find.

Alongside this, institutional expectations around open research and open data are evolving. Our newly devised framework reflects these expectations, embedding open research and research data management competencies from undergraduate through to doctoral research.

How the framework was created?

This framework was created through an extensive process of research, user experience testing, and revision. It was informed by a number of industry-standard frameworks for information literacy, critical information use, and researcher development, including:

Society of National, College and University Libraries Seven Pillars of Information Literacy

Association of College & Research Libraries Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education

Vitae Researcher Development Framework

An extensive benchmarking exercise was performed, considering a large number of comparable institutions’ public frameworks and library training provision, to ensure that our skills offer is competitive and holistic. We then worked with students and researchers to ensure that the framework is accessible and supports the skills that they genuinely use (or would like to use) in their assessments.

The framework's design

The framework is designed to set out six individual skill strands across three levels of study.

Skill strands:

Understand information context
Plan and prepare
Search and explore
Evaluate critically
Organise research material
Communicate research

Levels:

Undergraduate
Dissertation and taught postgraduate
Postgraduate researcher

If you are a student, explore the skills strands at the relevant level and the links to relevant resources which will help you to develop your skills. Contact your Research and Academic Support Librarian for further support.

If you are teaching or support staff, explore the framework strands, resources, and teaching case studies, and consider which learning objectives overlap with your programme or module aims. Contact your Research and Academic Support Librarian to discuss integrating critical information practices into your modules.

Contact us

Whether you would like to share feedback, discuss how the framework might support your teaching, or simply learn more, we would like to hear from you.

Email us at library@warwick.ac.uk

What's next?

This framework will underpin library teaching, including a new, developing programme of open sessions for undergraduate students, and further development of our researcher training programme.