What an Information Competent (IC) Student Can Do

Students can recognize the need for information and find it.

IC students must be able to recognize the need for information. This skill includes mastery of the following:

• The ability to develop a thesis statement;
• The ability to formulate questions based on the information needed;
• The ability to break down a thesis into key concepts or terms that describe the information needed;
• The ability to recognize the need to explore general information sources, for example, encyclopedias, dictionaries, almanacs, etc., to increase familiarity with the topic;
• The ability to construct a search strategy using computer commands such as Boolean operators, truncation, or internal organizers such as book indexes;
• The ability to develop a "game plan" for research such as using specific reference tools or research databases;
• The ability to refine or modify a research strategy to achieve a manageable focus;
• The ability to refine or modify a research strategy to retrieve information from various print and online sources;
• The ability to physically locate print resources in the University Library or other research libraries;
• The ability to use the Library of Congress classification scheme;
• The ability to request information not available at CSULB, for example, Link + or Interlibrary Loan.