Information Literacy Vocabulary

pundit

"A person who gives opinions in an authoritative manner usually through the mass media" (Merriam-Webster).

peer reviewed

"A process by which a scholarly work (such as a paper or a research proposal) is checked by a group of experts in the same field to make sure it meets the necessary standards before it is published or accepted" (Merriam-Webster).

pseudoscience

"A system of theories or assertions about the natural world that claim or appear to be scientific but that, in fact, are not. For example, astronomy is a science, but astrology is generally viewed as a pseudoscience" (Dictionary.com).

creative commons

"An American non-profit organization devoted to expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share" (Wikipedia).

hoax

"An act that is meant to trick or deceive people; To trick [people] into thinking something is true or real when it isn't" (Merriam-Webster).

editorial

"An article in a newspaper or other periodical or on a website presenting the opinion of the publisher, writer, or editor; A statement broadcast on radio or television that presents the opinion of the owner, manager, or the like, of the program, station, or channel" (Dictionary.com).

opinion piece

"An article in which the writer expresses their personal opinion, typically one which is controversial or provocative, about a particular issue or item of news" (Oxford Dictionaries).

commentary

"An expression of opinions or offering of explanations about an event or situation" (Oxford Dictionaries).

meme

"An idea, behavior, style, or usage that spreads from one person to another in a culture; An amusing or interesting picture, video, etc., that is spread widely through the Internet" (Merriam-Webster's Learner's Dictionary).

parody

"An imitation of the style of a particular writer, artist, or genre with deliberate exaggeration for comic effect" (Oxford Dictionaries).

Newspeak

"Deliberately ambiguous and contradictory language used to mislead and manipulate the public (The Free Dictionary).

disinformation

"Disinformation is intentionally false or inaccurate information that is spread deliberately. It is an act of deception ... to convince someone of untruth. Disinformation should not be confused with misinformation, information that is unintentionally false" (Quora).

empirical evidence

"Evidence based on facts obtained through scientific observation, investigation, or experimentation. Whereas anecdotal evidence is evidence based on theory, opinion, or informal observation rather than systematic research" (Saxton).

anecdotal evidence

"Evidence based on theory, opinion, or informal observation rather than systematic research. Whereas empirical evidence is evidence based on facts obtained through scientific observation, investigation, or experimentation" (Saxton).

junk science

"Faulty scientific research, data, and claims created for financial or political gain" (Dictionary.com).

hearsay

"Information that you have heard but do not know to be true" (Cambridge Dictionary)

propaganda

"Information, ideas or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution or nation. It is often biased and misleading, in order to promote an ideology or point of view" (Center for News Literacy).

mainstream media

"Mainstream media outlets are found on television, radio, online and in newspapers and other publications. They include TV networks like ABC, CBS and NBC, as well as national news channels like CNN and Fox News. They also include websites like MSNBC and large newspapers like The New York Times and USA Today. Mainstream media sources are usually easy to find, and they reach large audiences" (Houston Chronicle).

sponsored content

"Material in an online publication which resembles the publication's editorial content but is paid for by an advertiser and intended to promote the advertiser's product" (Oxford Dictionaries).

misinformation

"Misinformation is information that is false, but the person who is disseminating it believes that it is true" (Quora).

fake news

"News that is completely made up, manipulated to resemble credible journalism and attract maximum attention and, with it, advertising revenue." (Saxton). This definition is often expanded to include websites that circulate distorted, misconstrued or suspicious information through clickbaiting headlines that don't reflect the facts of the story, or undeclared bias (The Guardian).

circular reporting

"Occurs when publication A publishes misinformation, publication B reprints it, and publication A then cites B as the source for the information. It's also considered a form of circular reporting when multiple publications report on the same initial piece of false information, which then appears to another author as having been verified by multiple sources" (Saxton).

filter bubble or echo chamber

"Online services like Google and Facebook use computer programming algorithms to determine what information to deliver to you. Your "filter bubble" (a term coined by Eli Pariser) refers to the idea that this automated personalization, though helpful in some ways, can isolate you from other information. Sometimes referred to as an "echo chamber," the filter bubble created by your online activity can limit your exposure to different points of view, and weaken your ability to avoid fake news and bias" (Saxton).

native advertising

"Paid advertising where the ad matches the form, feel and function of the content of the media on which it appears" (Native Advertising Institute). Advertising that "tries to sell or promote a product in the guise of a news story" (Stanford History Education Group).

clickbait

"Something (such as a headline) designed to make readers want to click on a hyperlink especially when the link leads to content of dubious value or interest" (Merriam-Webster).

fact

"Something that has actual existence; An actual occurrence; A piece of information presented as having objective reality; Something that really exists or has occurred" (Merriam-Webster).

sensationalism

"The act by newspapers, television, etc. of presenting information in a way that is [meant to] be shocking or exciting" (Cambridge Dictionary).

user-generated content

"The production of content by the general public rather than by paid professionals and experts in the field" (Saxton).

yellow journalism

"The use of cheaply sensational or unscrupulous methods in newspapers, etc. to attract or influence readers" (Collins Dictionary). Yellow is the color often associated with being a coward.

satire

"The use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues" (Oxford Dictionaries).

troll

"To post inflammatory or inappropriate messages or comments ... for the purpose of upsetting other users and provoking a response" (Dictionary.com).

block quotes

A block of directly quoted text which is single spaced and indented 1 inch on the left and right because it is too long to reside in the regular lines of the paragraph.

source

A book, article, encyclopedic entry, video, or any piece of information used in research. A search tool, like Google, is not a source. A source is the specific article on a web page to which a search tool leads.

scholarly database

A collection of Academic Journals containing professional articles written and reviewed by scholars for the purpose of sharing and furthering research supported by empirical evidence.

query

A inquiry, question, or search

bibliography

A list of sources used in research; usually found at the end of a research document

about

A page of a website, usually accessed via a link in the header or footer, which describes the purpose, relevance, and, sometimes, the authority of the site

abstract

A paragraph summary of a scholarly article's contents

trade resource

A piece of information written for people in a specific trade or industry. This is usually secondary information and not written by scholars.

in-text citations

A reference to a source within the body paragraphs of a paper, crediting the author, and demonstrating that the content was found through research.

Chicago

A research writing style that utilizes footnotes instead of in-text citations.

assertion

A statement made in research writing that the researcher intends to prove as true

signal phrase

A textual notification that a piece of information comes from a specific source. For example, "According to Jones," or "As stated by Jones,"

wiki

A website that allows its users to collaborate and edit its content

keywords

A word used in a search query to find relevant sources for a research need

parenthetical citation

An in-text citation that cites bibliographic information within parenthesis at the end of a quoted or paraphrased block of text. In MLA it would be the author's last name and a page number of a book. In APA it would be the author's last name and the year of publication.

references

Another word for citations or the bibliographic entries in a paper.

Quantitative

Descriptive evidence such as appearance or behavior

digital citizenship

Digital citizenship can be defined as the norms of appropriate, responsible behavior with regard to technology use including the following elements: Access, Commerce, Communication, Literacy, Etiquette, Law, Rights & Responsibilities, Health & Wellness, and Security/Self-Protection (Ribble).

fair use

Exceptions to Copyright Law. In certain situations, a portion of copyrighted material may be used without asking the copyright holder for permission. These include: education, scholarly research, news reporting, commentary or criticism.

Research Model

FRIENDS: Focus; Research through Inquiry, Evaluation, and Notation; Develop; Score.

primary source

First-hand research or experience. They present new information based on work in the field, lab research, or personal experience. "Eyewitness" accounts.

piracy (online)

Illegally recording, copying, and/or distributing intellectually property. This happens without the consent of the copyright holder and is against the law.

header (of a paper)

In MLA Style, the running header should be on the right hand side of every page, and should include the scholar's last name and the page number.

heading (of a paper)

In MLA style, the heading should appear below the line of the running header, but on the left hand side. The heading should include the student's name, the teacher's name, the course name, and the due date.

truthfulness

In evaluating a source, this means how accurate the information is and whether or not it uses empirical evidence to support its claim.

timeliness

In evaluating a source, this means how current the information is and whether or not it is still relevant.

scholarly resource

Information produced by academics using empirical evidence for the purpose of sharing or furthering a line of research. Can be found in subscription-based journals which are often collected in Research Databases.

Qualitative

Measurable, numerical evidence such as graphs, statistics, percentages

MLA Style

Modern Language Association research style uses in-text citations and a Works Cited.

digital footprint

Once something is posted on the internet, it can be accessed forever- even if it has been deleted by the user.

cyberbullying

Online harassment. This is illegal in most states.

bias

Prejudice for or against one thing, person, or group over another, sometimes in a way that is considered to be unfair.

intellectual property

Property that derives from the work of the mind or intellect and has been expressed in a medium such as writing, art, or recorded music and that is entitled to rights protected by Copyright Law.

citations

Reference to a source used in research writing.

post-truth

Relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief" (Oxford Dictionaries).

periodicals

Resources that are published on a schedule such as daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, annually, or biannually.

phishing

Scams used to collect personal information from unsuspecting internet users.

search tools

Search Engines, Databases, and Portals that can be searched using keywords to lead a researcher to information sources.

quotes

Sentences directly copied from a source to support a thesis assertion. These must be in quotation marks and cited within the text of the paper.

privacy settings

Social Media apps allow you to restrict how much, if any, of your information can be searched for or shared with all of the web. Anyone under the age of 18 should have their social media on the strictest privacy settings. No accounts should be public.

hierarchy (of information)

Sources with scholarly authority are more reliable than sources in which the authors do not use empirical evidence.

APA Style

The American Psychological Association's prescribed way of formatting research documents

Works Cited

The MLA Style term for a bibliography.

Research Journaling

The act of tracking sources and the information obtained from those sources, so that those sources may later be cited in a research product. This practice will protect a researcher from committing plagiarism.

relevance

The appropriateness of a source for the research need or research audience.

footer (of a website)

The bottom portion of a website where you may find the ABOUT or CONTACT US links to determine website authority.

credentials

The education, experience, certifications, achievements and other qualifications that indicate that a person or organization is suitable to be the authority of a source.

container

The larger whole that a source is found within. For example, the journal in which an article is found.

digital persona

The manner in which a person presents his/her self online.

authority

The person or organization responsible for the content in a source.

score

The portion of the FRIENDS research model in which the researcher self-evaluates before sharing or submitting their work.

plagiarism

The practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own. (Even if you don't mean to!)

Source Evaluation

The process of scrutinizing a source of information to determine its purpose, relevance, authority, truthfulness, and timeliness as they relate to a research need.

credibility

The quality of being trustworthy

copyright

The right of the creator and owner of a work to copy, distribute, make derivatives of, perform, and display that work.

information literacy

The set of skills needed to find, retrieve, analyze, and use information. (ALA)

header (of a website)

The top portion of a website where you may find the ABOUT or CONTACT US links to determine website authority.

popular resource

These articles are written for the everyday person (not scholars or tradespeople). While they may cover some important topics, they may be inaccurate or lacking in detail due to writer's lack of academic knowledge. They vary drastically in their levels of sophistication (world news vs. celebrity news). They are written by journalists and/or staff writers. They can be for information or for entertainment, or both.

paraphrase

To reword information from a source in a way that retains the meaning without directly quoting

fact checker

Websites that offer debunking services to help information consumers determine what is true and what is fabricated in the media. (ex. Hoaxy, Snopes, AllSides, FactCheck, PolitiFact).

hanging indent

When a bibliographic entry exceeds one line, the extra lines should be indented so that the first line hangs over them. This makes it clearer to tell by which word the citation is alphabetized.

grooming (online)

When a dangerous adult tries to build an emotional bond online with a child in order to exploit them in an inappropriate and harmful way in the real world

purpose

Why a resource was created. S.P.I.E.D: Satire (or Parody) Persuade (convince) Inform (educate) Entertain (fun, diversion) Deceive (hoax, scam, misinform)

thesis

•The MOST IMPORTANT SENTENCE in a research paper •The focus for the rest of the paper •Answers the question: "What am I trying to prove?" •Not a simple factual statement, but a claim of an assertion that has to be proven through EVIDENCE throughout the paper • It is an arguable, defendable statement • It is a complete sentence that expresses the paper's position or assertion on a given topic • It narrows down your topic to a specific, single focus of investigation.