Information Literacy is the ability to identify what information is needed, understand how the information is organized, identify the best sources of information for a given need, locate those sources, evaluate the sources critically, and share that information. It is the knowledge of commonly used research techniques. Information literacy is critically important because we are surrounded by a growing ocean of information in all formats. Not all information is created equal: some is authoritative, current, reliable, but some is biased, out of date, misleading, or false. And the amount of information available is going to keep increasing.—courtesy of the University of Idaho

According to the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), an information literate person is able to

Determine the extent of information needed
Access the needed information effectively and efficiently
Evaluate information and its sources critically
Incorporate selected information into one’s knowledge base
Use information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose
Understand the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information, and access and use information ethically and legally

Information literacy is definitely a skill that you will use outside of the classroom. At its heart, information literacy is about empowering you to understand how to evaluate information that you’ve being given.

Information literacy is one of the most important skills you will learn in college. Throughout the term, week by week, we will be delving into different aspects of information literacy—mostly for use in your final paper, but many of the skills will be applicable to your first two papers as well. For example, today’s specific aspect of information literacy: Voice markers. You may know them as signal phrases.

Voice markers are signposts to your reader that the text coming up is comprised of ideas from a source rather than your own opinions. Whenever you include a summary, paraphrase, or direct quotation of another writer in your paper, prepare your readers for it with an introduction called the signal phrase. A signal phrase names the author of the source and often provided some context for the source material. When you write a signal phrase, choose a verb that is appropriate for the way you are using the source. Note that MLA style calls for present-tense verbs (argues) to introduce source material.

Readers need to move from your words to the words of a source without feeling a jolt. A signal phrase (or voice marker) provides boundaries. If you simply place a quote into your paper without introducing it, without setting it up, for your reader, it can be a bit jarring. This is known as a dropped quote. For example,

Dropped quotes: The quotation is just dropped into the essay.

“I imagine a world where this won’t be necessary” (Tisdale 509).

OK: The simplest signal phrase tells the reader who wrote the quote.

Tisdale says, “I imagine a world where this won’t be necessary” (509).

Much better: A better signal phrase tells more about the author of the quote. The verb is more active and provides more details about the quote.

A registered nurse, Sallie Tisdale draws from her experiences at an abortion clinic when she asserts, “As I close the freezer door, I imagine a world where this won’t be necessary, and then return to the world where it is” (509).

Best: The best signal phrases introduce the author, use active verbs, and connect the quote to the ideas in your essay.

Ethical issues are not always as simplistic as Plato implies; they often promote conflicting emotions and uneasy truces in the people who must battle them in their everyday life. Sallie Tisdale, registered nurse with an abortion clinic, best exemplifies this conflicting nature of applied ethics when she admits, “As I close the freezer door, I imagine a world where this won’t be necessary, and then return to the world where it is” (509).

Good research writing uses evidence from reliable sources. The first time you mention a source, briefly include the author’s title, credentials, or experience—anything that would help your readers recognize the source’s authority. When you establish your source’s authority, you also signal to readers your own credibility as a responsible researcher, one who has located trustworthy sources.

Our book covers signal phrases extensively in Section 55c--pages 450-454.

Now watch the video from The College of San Mateo Library, which shows how to use voice markers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKx_Ljxp1J4