It is important that students learn how to retrieve and evaluate information efficiently and effectively from a variety of sources, both print and electronic.
Faculty can provide opportunities to practice information-gathering skills.
The traditional term paper is often an excellent medium. Not every instructor, though, uses research papers. For those that don't, or who wish to highlight information seeking more clearly, this page provides an overview of some possibilities of assignments that deal explicitly with locating authoritative information sources. Students learn that indexes, databases and even search engines may have different focusses. This helps them learn to make deliberate choices about which finding tool to locate information in various fields or at differing levels.