Truth
You are alive in a time of an abundance of knowledge. The internet is a great resource for information but it can be difficult to sort through everything and find reliable truth.
"We live in a time of greatly expanded and disseminated information. But not all of this information is true. We need to be cautious as we seek truth and choose sources for that search. We should not consider secular prominence or authority as qualified sources of truth. We should be cautious about relying on information or advice offered by entertainment stars, prominent athletes, or anonymous internet sources. Expertise in one field should not be taken as expertise on truth in other subjects.
"We should also be cautious about the motivation of the one who provides information. That is why the scriptures warn us against priestcraft (see 2 Nephi 26:29). If the source is anonymous or unknown, the information may also be suspect.
"Our personal decisions should be based on information from sources that are qualified on the subject and free from selfish motivations.”
As you think about President Oaks' remarks above, consider this quote from Melinda Ashton, who was speaking at the inauguration of Brian K. Ashton, the second president of BYU-Pathway Worldwide, on March 10, 2022:
"I am so very thankful for the educational opportunities I have had and for parents who taught me to seek truth by being a life-long learner. The foundation they provided was enhanced as my university professors assured me that both the secular and the spiritual pursuit of truth would bless my life. When they seem to conflict, it is just an indication that more searching and understanding is needed."
Throughout this lesson, you will learn how to sift through the information available to you and evaluate it for credibility. Heavenly Father has provided the opportunity for you to be self-reliant and to use agency to find truth for yourself. You have access to heavenly help as you search for and discover truth.
Part of searching for and discovering truth is learning how to locate, evaluate, and determine if an academic source is credible and if the information is accurate.
Information Literacy is defined as the “Ability to recognize the need for information, and be able to locate, evaluate, and use the information effectively.” - the Association of College & Research Libraries
Information literacy is like having a compass when you are surrounded by an infinite amount of information. In the scriptures we learn, “For he that diligently seeketh shall find” (1 Nephi 10:19) and so whether you are a student, a professional or someone who is curious about different topics, these skills are important for lifelong learning. Being a disciple leader at home, at church or in your community includes understanding information literacy.
Answer these questions to see what you remember from reading the text above.
- What does modern revelation define truth as?
ANSWER - According to President Dallin H. Oaks, what should individuals be cautious about when seeking truth?
ANSWER - What does the term "information literacy" refer to?
ANSWER
When do you need information?
Whenever you have a question, you need information to answer it. This is particularly true when you have a research question. Having a purpose or goal in mind will help you come up with a better question for your research. Once you have a question, you will be better able to use keywords to find the information to answer the question.
How do you locate Information?
Not all sources of information are equally reliable. Scholarly articles or books contain the best information and can often only be accessed through a library. Libraries purchase access to these articles or books through a database subscription. If you do not have access to a library, Google Scholar will search scholarly articles for you, however, only some of those articles will be available for free.
What is a Search Strategy?
A Search Strategy is formulating a plan and coming up with words to find information about your chosen topic.
Keyword Searching
Keyword Searching is the most common form of online searching and should be used when you need to find materials on a specific topic. You should search by keyword if you are unsure about the author or title of an item. Keywords are significant words used to describe information in a catalog, database, or search engine. They are the "main ideas" of your chosen topic. The keywords you choose for searching have a large impact on how many relevant records are retrieved.
Keyword searches are especially useful when your topic combines two or more concepts.
TIP: Use a thesaurus to help you find synonyms for your keywords
The video below shows how to develop a research strategy and use keywords to create search terms.
Developing a Research Strategy | (05:59 mins, "Developing a Research Strategy" Transcript)
Boolean Operators
Boolean Operators are words or symbols used as conjunctions to combine or exclude keywords in a search. Using these operators, you can focus your search on the results that will be most helpful. Below are common Boolean operators that work when searching within Google and Google Scholar, as well as an example of each.
- AND (Limit Results)
- Example: social media AND mental health
- Searches for content that contains both social media and mental health.
- Example: social media AND mental health
- OR (One Term or another)
- Example: social media OR mental health
- Searches for content that contains social media or mental health.
- Example: social media OR mental health
- - (Exclude a term from the search)
- Example: memory -animals
- Limits results to only those with memory and not the term animals.
- Example: memory -animals
- “ “ (Exact phrase)
- “keeping a budget”
- Searches for the exact phrase keeping a budget.
- “keeping a budget”
Where can I find sources?
Finding sources for PathwayConnect assignments is research. You can use Google Scholar to find scholarly articles. Google Scholar limits the search results to scholarly articles. In this way, it is more like a database than a regular Google search. You will not be able to access all the results. In the search results, if there is a PDF or HTML link to the right side of the title, you will be able to access those results.
Try Google Scholar to broadly search for scholarly literature.
- Choose keywords and search.
- Try using quotes.
- Try sorting or filtering the results using the tools on the results page.
- Click on the PDF or HTML options on the right of the search results list to access articles. If there are no links on the right, you might not have access.
How do you evaluate Information?
If you know you have a scholarly article, then some evaluation is already done for you. The content and author should be credible. However, you must examine all articles with a critical lens for objective or bias, purpose, or point of view. If it is a website, then you must further analyze the appearance and content for credibility. To evaluate the contents of an article and determine its credibility, ask the following questions:
Content
Is the information credible, accurate, authoritative, and reliable? Has it been reviewed by others who are knowledgeable in that field? Can you verify the information in two other independent sources?
Objective
Is the information objective or biased? Is there persuasive language? Are there various viewpoints expressed? Locate the thesis statement which can help you determine bias.
Purpose
What is the author or sponsor’s purpose or point? To express a point of view? To tell something? Entertain? Educate? If there is advertising, is it internal or for other companies? What audience is the source trying to reach: children, doctors, etc.? Insider jargon could be a clue to the audience.
Ease
Is it well-organized? Is there a table of contents, index, footnotes, endnotes, bibliography? For websites: Is there a search box and a “Return to Home” link? Do the font, colors, graphics, or special effects overwhelm or detract? Do the links work? Has it been updated recently?
What is Plagiarism?
Students should always provide proper citations for all quotations, summaries, paraphrases, or any other work or idea that is borrowed from others. When students use another person's idea or work without giving proper credit, they are committing plagiarism, which is a serious breach of academic honesty. You can learn more about plagiarism and intellectual theft here.
What is a Citation?
When citing the books, articles, and other materials collected for a research paper, you must organize the important information identifying the author, title, publisher and date of the work according to a specific style (called a citation style). PathwayConnect taught you a method of citation. You will learn more citation methods in later courses.
If you can master these steps of creating a search strategy, finding sources and evaluating those sources, you will be on your way to a lifetime of information literacy and learning.
Reading Strategy Practice: Question. Asking questions is an important part of evaluating if a source is credible. As you finish this lesson, remember that questioning helps you explore what you read in a way that helps you remember its important points.
W05 Gathering Prep
What will you do this week, in preparation for the gathering, to exemplify the Learning Model principle of “Teach One Another?” Choose one research tip from the lesson material that you would like to learn more about. In your gathering this week discuss what you have learned with the group.
After reading this lesson, ponder the following questions. If desired, record your thoughts in a learning journal.
- How has the abundance of information in the digital age affected your approach to seeking truth, especially considering President Oaks' cautionary remarks?
- Reflecting on Melinda Ashton's quote, why did she say that when secular and spiritual pursuits of truth seemed to conflict in her life, more searching and understanding was needed?
