This course teaches information literacy — how to recognise when you need information and then find, judge, and use it well and honestly. It is the foundation for all study, research, and informed life.

Aimed at anyone starting out in academic work, it turns the overwhelming flood of online information into something you can navigate with confidence.

What you’ll be able to do

By the end of this course you will be able to:

• explain what information literacy is and why it matters;
• turn a vague information need into a focused search;
• find scholarly and open-access material using the right tools;
• judge a source for reliability and bias;
• use information honestly, citing your sources;

The lessons

1. What is Information Literacy? — the core idea and why it matters more than memorising facts.
2. Information Needs Analysis — working out exactly what you need before you search.
3. Finding Information — choosing the right tool and building a focused search.
4. Evaluating Sources — judging authority, accuracy, currency, and bias.
5. Ethical Use of Information — citation, copyright, and academic integrity.

How to study this course

Work through the lessons in order — each is a short read with a worked example, a quick exercise, and a hand-picked free resource. Use the Previous and Next buttons at the foot of each page to move along. There are no fees and no enrolment barriers; the course is open to everyone, and you can revisit it any time.

This courseware is provided free by FRELIP. Original text released under CC BY 4.0; linked resources remain under their own licences. Curated by the FRELIP Open Courseware editorial team.