According to the American Library Association, information literacy is defined as:
"A set of abilities requiring individuals to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information."
"Information literacy is critically important because we are surrounded by a growing ocean of information in all formats. Not all information is created equal: some is authoritative, current, reliable, but some is biased, out of date, misleading, false. The amount of information available is going to keep increasing. The types of technology used to access, manipulate, and create information will likewise expand. As a student who is information literate, you will be able to locate and use resources for your classes through both the library and the internet. You will also be able to use these resources effectively at each stage of a project, from defining a topic to critically evaluating the information found. Some of the information literacy skills you'll learn in this tutorial include developing research strategies, learning search techniques, and effectively evaluating resources. (University of Wisconsin Library)."
Watch this brief video from Pima Community College Library for a basic understanding of information literacy.
Watch this brief video to help you understand what scholarly articles are and how they differ from popular sources.
Flip through this example of a scholarly article to view the different sections. When reading these articles, try reading over the abstract and conclusion first to see if they meet your research needs.
Click on the center of the image to view full screen.