Research skills teaching offer

Introduction

Loughborough University Library, Academic Services Team support student research skills development by creating engaging and supportive learning materials.  The research skills teaching offer provides a varied programme of skills development teaching and support focussing on the broad aspects of searching for information, namely finding, evaluating and managing information in an ethical and scholarly way. This training gives students the skills they require for success in their course and to support lifelong learning. 

The Library's team of Academic Librarians offer a range of in-curriculum teaching and learning support which can be tailored to your subject, programme or module requirements, with delivery methods including in-person or remote "live" delivery, on demand resources and and blended learning options. Each element of the research skills offer support the development of relevant information literacies and digital capabilities, namely:

Discover - Develop strategies, use discovery tools and databases

  • Clarify what information is required to answer a question.
  • Identify different information sources in the subject area.
  • Locate and select appropriate discovery tools, search engines, databases.
  • Develop a search strategy: suggest appropriate keywords and use effective search techniques to find and select relevant information.
  • Create search alerts.

Evaluate - critically assess information, gauge the quality of a resource and judge its value

  • Appreciate the need to critically assess information sources
  • Appraise a wide range of media to discover experts and their work
  • Understand the origin of information sources and how information is published, recognising the quality and value of different information sources over time
  • Apply criteria to evaluate a source for accuracy and authority
  • Recognise bias and misinformation
  • Apply critical thinking techniques to critique evidence, cross-checking to assess validity and credibility

Reference - create citations, acknowledge the work of others and use information ethically

  •  Understand the principles of academic integrity and how to use information ethically
  • Explain why referencing and citation are important and are essential for academic writing
  • Know when a reference is required for all formats of information
  • Cite others' work and ideas and acknowledge third-party sources while respecting data protection and copyright requirements
  • Compile accurate reference lists and bibliographies consistent with the citation style required by the School or department

Manage - Organise content and information efficiently and securely

  • Apply principles of data management to ensure secure and effective archiving and retrieval of files and datasets
  • Save and tag content and information
  • Manage searches and alerts
  • Manage references using reference management software

Recommendations

  • Timeliness - Information skills development benefits students learning and attainment; Library input is discipline tailored and should be embedded within the curriculum at an appropriate stage within the module. For example, delivery too early in the module, before students have been set any assignments, can make information skills training irrelevant.
  • ScaffoldingLibrary training can be offered throughout the student journey so that students are learning new skills in chunks, developing incrementally.
  • ReinforcementThe Library has online materials to support students throughout their studies. Many of these can be embedded onto Learn modules to emphasise key skills.
  • DeliveryInformation skills training can be delivered in a variety of formats to suit content and module requirements. For example, training can be delivered through blended learning, a flipped classroom approach, recorded lecture supplemented by online materialslectures and workshops

Requesting training

Take a look at the materials in our Research skills teaching offer Learn module to see what sort of support the Library can offer for your programme or module. Fuller descriptions of our training sessions are available on the module. If you would like to take advantage of this training please contact your Academic Librarian who will be happy to discuss Library input for your module.