Information Literacy Resources

Student Resources

Ensure your students have access to the resources they need to successfully complete their research assignment.

• Ask your subject librarian to create a research guide to get your students to the best resources more quickly.
• Work with Course Reserves to make sure all your students have equal access to the same resources.
• Encourage co-curricular skill development with LinkedIn Learning courses on information literacy
• Visit and share our For Students page with your students to help them learn more about the wide array of resources and services that the libraries offer for students.

Student Success

Our librarians have extensive domain and disciplinary knowledge and expertise, as well as a wealth of experience teaching information literacy and research skills to help your students succeed.

• Visit our Instruction Services page to see what we can offer, from an in-class session to an assignment design consultation.
• Encourage students to schedule a research consultation with a subject librarian.
• Remind students to visit a service desk at one of our libraries or send a message to Ask a Librarian for immediate research help.
• Add a Library Services Statement to your syllabus to help students be aware of library support offerings:
  • The Emory Libraries provide support and resources to help you complete your research assignments, develop information literacy skills, and succeed in your studies. Visit our For Students pages to learn more about resources for students. Get help with your research by visiting Ask a Librarian or by contacting the subject librarian for this course, [insert name] at [insert email]

Create an Effective Research Assignment

Subject librarians have experience designing assignments that teach information literacy and research skills. Below are some tips and suggestions to keep in mind as you develop your research assignment. And you can always get in touch with us if you’d like to discuss your assignment. To see ideas for different types of research assignments and activities, visit Emory's Teaching Toolkit.

• Offer specific directions and clear expectations – Students have a wide range of experiences with research and with using the library. Be sure to be clear with your assignment directions to avoid confusion or stress. Consider specifying the citation style you’d like students to use, clarifying terms that might be unfamiliar, like peer review, or ensuring students know where and how to get help at places like the Libraries or the Writing Center.
• Provide context and explain why – Students might have very different experiences with research. Explaining why you are asking them to do certain things or what your goals are for the assignment can help them gain a deeper understanding of the research process, your particular discipline, and information literacy.
• Emphasize transferrable skills – Help students strengthen the skills they need to succeed not only at Emory but also in their future endeavors. You can emphasize foundational and transferrable information literacy skills in your assignments by having students analyze search results, communicate their research in a variety of mediums, or create a data visualization.
• Scaffold and vary your assignments – Research can be overwhelming for some students, so breaking your assignment into smaller, varied components and letting your assignments build upon one another can help students strengthen their research skills and provide you with opportunities to check in on your students’ progress and development. You can have students complete annotated bibliographies, write research proposals, or engage in class peer-review sessions.
• Test your assignment and get feedback – Librarians have expertise in assessing information literacy and research skills and we can work with you to test and get feedback on your assignment. And remember, information sources are always evolving. You can provide the libraries with a copy of your syllabus or your assignment so we can ensure that your students have the resources they need.
• Integrate the library – Remember, librarians are here to work with you and your students! See different ways you can work with the library.