Student Learning Outcomes
Our Library's Core Information Competencies

The CSULA information literate student can:

1. Define the research topic and the need for information

• Demonstrate a clear understanding of the assignment or information need and its requirements.
• Develop a purpose statement and a timeline for completion of the project.
• Clearly articulate a focused research question or problem.
• Identify types of materials (journals, government publications, books, web presentations) that may be used to complete the research.
• Recognize gaps in information or that information may be limited on the topic.

2. Access information effectively and efficiently

• Choose key concepts or terms appropriate to the retrieval system selected.
• Recognize that the organization of literature differs by discipline.
• Search the library catalog, article databases, and web sites fluently, navigating between print and online sources as necessary.
• Follow a citation and connect citation components with searches. 

• Locate information remotely and physically by utilizing URLs, call numbers, linking software, and interlibrary loan.
• Modify the search strategy as necessary.

3. Evaluate information critically

• Determine if the information discovered is relevant for the needs of the assignment.
• Distinguish between scholarly and popular sources, primary and secondary sources, and mainstream and alternative sources of information.
• Examine and compare information found in books, articles, and web sites, and evaluate for reliability, validity, accuracy, authority, scope, and timeliness.
• Identify prejudice, bias, deception, or manipulation.

4. Organize, synthesize, and communicate information for a specific purpose

• Manage and store search strategies and search results from a variety of resources using various technological tools.
• Integrate new information with previous information to create knowledge appropriate to answering the research question.
• Present information in a manner that supports the assignment or information need.

5. Ethically and legally access and use information

• Avoid plagiarism by appropriately summarizing, paraphrasing, quoting and acknowledging sources.
• Legally obtain, store, and use text and data, including sound and images.
• Select and consistently use a citation style appropriate to the discipline.
• Cite correctly printed, multimedia, and online sources.
• Distinguish between free and fee-based access to information.

Adapted from the CSU Information Competence Initiative, ACRL Standards, and UCLA Libraries

Outcomes in PDF Format