Understand sources and their use in an academic context and what this means for finding and using information.
Information context refers to the processes through which information and content is created or generated, the sites where it is stored, the interfaces through which we interact with it, and how these affect the way information is understood and used. It also addresses ethical and critical considerations that accompany creation and use, and how rapid changes in technology have significantly reshaped these.
Teaching this skill? Select the boxes below to view the learning objectives for each level.
Learning objectives
Recognise what an Academic Library is and position it within a wider contemporary Information landscape as both a physical and online collection, with accompanying systems and services to support discovery, access and use
Recognise that information is organised within collections – by subject etc. – in ways that support navigation and discovery, and how this can be used to help to find information sources.
Know where to find module Reading Lists, understanding what they’re for, how to use them and how they support learning.
Know how to access the range of support services available to help find and access information both in and beyond the Library
Recognise what makes a source Scholarly sources, comparing this to non-scholarly and AI sources, based on approaches to authorship, editorial processes such as peer-review, and publishing.
Define the differences between the major scholarly source types and how these differences shape the information they contain.
Identify and evaluate the important Academic search tools and platforms for finding information or data in the subject area.
Describe the responsibilities of using information sources as a researcher, demonstrating appropriate practise in all academic work.
Recognise that AI tools affect the process of gathering information, the results presented, and the content generated.
Develop a critical understanding of trust and trustworthiness to information and apply this to your use of it, particularly in the context of AI and machine generated content.
Resources and activities
Visit the Subject Guides for your subject to understand what collections, services and support are available to you.
Have a look at this page on what to expect from an academic library, from FutureLearn.
Characterise the Information landscape in your field and apply this understanding to your research strategy.
Differentiate between a wide range of information Media and Data source types, the way they are edited and produced, including AI and machine-generated content, and how this affects the way information might be found or presented.
Recognise Authority, the range of ways this is constructed in academic, disciplinary and wider contexts, and the implications for information source use in research.
Recognise the way scholarship is communicated and shared across a range of spaces, in an ongoing way, characterised by competing perspectives.
Recognise that AI tools are not neutral. They are intermediary layers shaped by the methods and contexts through which they are developed, and by the interests of those who develop them, which influences the way information is aggregated and presented.
Recognise how access to information can be regulated through economic, social or geographical factors, and the implications this has for accessing sources.
Resources and activities
Visit the Subject Guides for your subject to understand what specialist collections are available for research in your discipline.
Look at a journal article, book or book chapter in your discipline and find a bibliography.
Note what types of sources are mainly used
Look at some of the authors and try to find some more about them – other work, any institutional affiliations, qualifications or posts held for example.
Recognise the nature of scholarly communication in approaches to gathering information both within and beyond the field and engaging with conversations in relevant research areas.
Navigate the range of publishing options available to the researcher in a given field and make decisions on the most suitable platforms, methods, and Media to communicate research.
Describe and define the Open research movements and their implications for communicating research, for example, within the context of funder requirements.
Recognize the funding opportunities and requirements for publishing research through any given route, including different Open Access publishing models and how to apply for these.
Characterise the range of Research metrics and critically reflect on their implications for scholarly communication.
Critically develop appropriate plans and methods for Research Data Management to meet principles of Open research, rigorously applying these to the storage and sharing of research Data.
Recognise the implications of a highly commercialised academic publishing sector and factors relating to funding models, academic profile and progression, applying an ethical approach to engaging with this sector.
Critically consider the use of AI tools in any part of a project through the lenses of information ethics, bias, privacy, sustainability and intellectual ownership.
Consider whether your project might benefit from specific support from the Open Research Team.
Teaching staff
Understand Information Context introduces foundational knowledge about the information landscape at increasingly sophisticated levels. It also presents critical questions around the nature of information sources the systems through which they are created, found and used along with what it means to be a user and producer of information.
Whilst many of the skills detailed in under this theme will be introduced within other themes and into practical skills, the Research and Academic Services division can work with you to identify any areas in this theme most relevant to your students and how they link to other themes and skills in the framework.
English and Comparative Literary Studies (as well as joint English-Theatre and English-History) undergraduates take a compulsory academic enrichment module in their first and second years to support academic skill development. The Library runs two sessions on the module which focus on understanding different types of academic source and searching. Students are introduced to journal articles, monographs, edited collections, etc., and examine their different purposes. They also consider factors in the way sources are produced and what this means for the understanding of the information they provide, to support evaluation and use in their work.
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Contact us
We are developing the teaching provision (and case studies) arising from this framework on an ongoing basis. Please get in touch if you have any feedback, or would like to propose a session as part of your programme: contact us.
