Undergraduate search strategies and evaluation criteria: searching for credible sources

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine undergraduate students’ information seeking behavior and their thought processes involved in, criteria applied to, and methods of evaluating the results of their searches, in determining which information to apply to their research. Design/methodology/approach – The authors observed, recorded and analyzed the processes and sources used by undergraduate students when seeking information on a given topic. Findings – Students did not use as many of the criteria necessary for evaluating sources for a research paper as the authors had hoped to observe; therefore, the students identified relatively few scholarly sources. Practical implications – Even though many of the students had had a course-integrated library instruction session before participating in the study, it did not seem to increase their evaluative skills, leading the authors to think that research skills need to be integrated in the curriculum in more meaningful ways by teaching faculty. Originality/value – The paper raises awareness of the search strategies and criteria that undergraduate students use to find information for their research papers.