Learning objectives
This course aligns with the Conference of Italian Universities' Rectors (CRUI) guidelines for achieving information literacy competencies among Italian university graduates. These competencies are essential for autonomously researching and producing new knowledge. By the end of the course, students will be able to:
1. Understand and use services and tools for retrieving information and bibliographic documents.
2. Evaluate sources of information in scientific literature.
3. Recognize the main characteristics and differences among types of scientific publications.
4. Understand intellectual property protection issues.
5. Properly cite information sources and create bibliographies.
6. Use tools for managing bibliographic references.
7. Formulate research questions and organize the research process.
8. Write scientific texts in accordance with research ethics.
9. Share research information and results, including in English, using multimedia tools.
10. Understand open access publishing methods.
Prerequisites
Basic computer skills (Word, PowerPoint, web browsing) and English language proficiency at level B1.
Course unit content
- Library services for Science and Technology.
- Document types, including open-access publications, and key research tools.
- Remote access to information sources.
- Multidisciplinary and specialized scientific databases.
- Research strategies.
- Evaluating information sources.
- Bibliographic citation and citation management software.
- Guide to scientific writing.
- Open-access scientific publications.
Full programme
The course includes 17 hours of online activities with self-assessment exercises, as well as 8 hours of face-to-face lessons with interactive exercises conducted by the staff of the central library for Science and Technology. The online portion covers the following topics:
- The value of information literacy for academic paths and lifelong learning.
- Library services.
- Document types (monographs, periodicals, ebooks, letters, articles, reviews, patents, etc.).
- Bibliographic research tools and query strategies: OPAC, SFX, Discovery Tool.
- Interlibrary loan and document delivery for materials not available in the library.
- Remote access to information resources.
- Multidisciplinary databases and query strategies: Science Direct, Scopus, Web of Science, JoVE.
- Specialized scientific databases and query strategies: PubMed, CABI, CAB Abstracts, FSTA & Food Science Source, Georef, MathSciNet, ProQuest, Urbadoc, IEEE, SciFinder-n.
- Planning research strategies, choosing research topics, and designing study approaches.
- Evaluating information sources and recognizing fake news.
- Bibliographic citation and use of bibliographic tools (such as Zotero).
- Intellectual property protection: avoiding plagiarism while respecting research ethics and proper dissemination of scientific results.
- Strategies for writing different types of texts (theses, articles, posters, essays).
- Writing abstracts and paraphrasing scientific texts.
- Proper use of English language in scientific writing.
- Presenting research work during discussions or conferences, including constructing accurate bibliographies.
- In-depth exploration of open access and open-access publishing methods
Bibliography
Supplementary materials for each course section will be available on the Elly platform.
Teaching methods
The course will be delivered in a blended format during the second semester of the academic year 2024/25. The theoretical part will be accessible online via the Elly platform, with conditional progression and interactive content for self-assessment. A forum will be active for student tutoring to encourage participation and monitor activity. The 8 hours of in-person sessions will be held at the Central Library for Science and Technology, based on the number of enrolled students.
Assessment methods and criteria
The final evaluation will require applying the acquired competencies during the course. Attendance at in-person classes and exercises, as well as passing intermediate assessments on the platform, contribute to the final evaluation. Successful completion leads to a certificate and 1 ECTS.
Other information
The course is aimed at undergraduate and graduate students in technical-scientific and veterinary medicine programs. For more details about the course, including access to online content, exercises, and the final assessment, please email the Science and Technology Library at biblioteca.scienzetecnologie@unipr.it, specifying "Course Information Literacy 2024-2025" in the subject line
2030 agenda goals for sustainable development
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