GEN 103 Final Project: Applying Information Literacy Using the ACRL Framework (Five Sections Example)

GEN 103 Final Project: Applying Information Literacy

Discuss the following sections:

• Section 1: Research as Inquiry and Scholarship as Conversation
• Section 2: Searching as Strategic Exploration and Information Creation as a Process
• Section 3: Information Creation as a Process
• Section 4: Information Has Value and Using Information Ethically
• Section 5: Information Literacy and the Research Process

Original example for study purposes (about 1,100 words). The research topic is illustrative; use the topic, sources and search results from your own GEN 103 work.

Research topic: How does nighttime smartphone and social media use affect teenagers’ sleep?

Section 1: Research as Inquiry and Scholarship as Conversation

The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL, 2016) describes research as inquiry as an iterative process in which answering one question often leads to new, more focused questions. I began with a broad question, “Is social media bad for teenagers?” Early reading showed this was too large to answer, so I narrowed it to sleep, a measurable outcome that many studies examine. As I read, new questions appeared: Is the problem the blue light from screens, the time spent online that replaces sleep, or the emotional stimulation of messages and notifications? Do the effects differ by age or gender? Treating research as inquiry meant accepting that my question would change as I learned more, rather than searching only for sources that confirmed my first opinion.

Scholarship as conversation means that researchers, journalists and practitioners respond to one another over time (ACRL, 2016). On my topic, early studies reported associations between screen time and shorter sleep, systematic reviews then summarized dozens of those studies (for example, Hale & Guan, 2015), and later researchers debated whether the effects are large enough to matter and whether they are causal. Public health organizations then translated this research into guidance for families. Seeing the conversation helped me understand that no single article provides “the answer,” and that my project is a small contribution that summarizes and responds to this ongoing discussion. It also reminded me to look at publication dates, because the conversation has changed as smartphones and platforms have changed.

Section 2: Searching as Strategic Exploration and Information Creation as a Process

Searching as strategic exploration recognizes that searching is not a single step but a flexible process of trying strategies, evaluating results and adjusting (ACRL, 2016). My search strategy included:

• Identifying keywords and synonyms: adolescents OR teenagers OR youth; “social media” OR smartphone OR “screen time”; sleep OR insomnia OR “sleep duration.”
• Using Boolean operators and phrase searching in the library’s discovery tool and in databases such as Academic Search Complete and PubMed.
• Applying limiters for peer-reviewed articles, publication dates within the past ten years and English language.
• Following citation trails: I used the reference list of a systematic review to find earlier studies and a “cited by” link to find newer ones.
• Adjusting when results were poor: my first search returned thousands of results, so I added “systematic review” to find summaries, and when searches were too narrow, I removed limiters.

Searching also connected to information creation as a process, because different search tools return different kinds of information. Google returned news articles, blogs and commercial sites, while library databases returned peer-reviewed research. Knowing how each source was created helped me decide where to search for each need: news for current events and examples, and scholarly databases for evidence.

Section 3: Information Creation as a Process

The ACRL (2016) frame states that information is created through different processes that shape its format, purpose and reliability. In my research, I compared several formats:

• Peer-reviewed research articles take months or years to produce, describe methods in detail and are reviewed by experts before publication. They are reliable for evidence but can be technical and may lag behind new technology.
• Systematic reviews combine many studies using a structured method, giving a stronger overall picture than a single study.
• Government and professional organization reports, such as guidance from public health agencies, translate research into recommendations for the public.
• News articles are produced quickly and are useful for current events, but they often simplify findings or emphasize dramatic results.
• Social media posts and blogs are created instantly with little or no review and may reflect personal opinions or commercial interests.

Understanding these processes changed how I used sources. For example, when a news headline claimed that phones “destroy” teen sleep, I traced the claim back to the original study and found that the authors reported a moderate association and cautioned against assuming causation. The creation process explained the difference: the journalist wrote a short story for a general audience, while the researchers wrote a careful report for experts.

Section 4: Information Has Value and Using Information Ethically

The information has value frame recognizes that information has economic, legal, social and personal value (ACRL, 2016). Some articles I needed were behind paywalls, which showed me that access to information is unequal; as a student, I could use library subscriptions and interlibrary loan, but many people cannot. I also noticed that “free” social media platforms collect users’ personal data, which connects to my topic, since apps are designed to keep teens engaged at night.

Using information ethically means giving credit to the creators of ideas and using information responsibly. In my project, I:

• Cited every source in APA 7th edition style, both in text and in the reference list.
• Used quotation marks for exact words and paraphrased in my own words with citations for ideas.
• Represented findings accurately, including limitations, rather than exaggerating results to support my argument.
• Avoided using AI tools to generate content or sources without disclosure and verified that every source actually exists, following my course’s academic integrity policy.
• Respected privacy by not sharing identifiable information about anyone I talked to about the topic.

Ethical use of information protects authors’ intellectual property, maintains my credibility and supports academic integrity.

Section 5: Information Literacy and the Research Process

Information literacy connects every stage of the research process. I began by defining a need and narrowing a topic (research as inquiry), located information through strategic searching, evaluated sources by considering their creation process and authority, synthesized findings by placing studies in conversation with one another and communicated results ethically with proper citations. I also used the frame authority is constructed and contextual: a sleep researcher at a university is an authority on sleep studies, while a teenager’s personal post may be a valuable perspective on lived experience but not evidence of a general trend.

These skills extend well beyond this course. In my future career [insert your intended field], I will need to evaluate claims, find reliable evidence quickly and make decisions based on credible information. As a citizen, information literacy helps me recognize misinformation, especially on social media, and make informed choices about health, finances and voting. Overall, this project taught me that information literacy is not just about finding sources; it is a way of thinking critically, asking good questions and participating responsibly in the conversations that shape our world.

References

Association of College and Research Libraries. (2016). Framework for information literacy for higher education. American Library Association. https://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/ilframework

Hale, L., & Guan, S. (2015). Screen time and sleep among school-aged children and adolescents: A systematic literature review. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 21, 50–58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2014.07.007

[Your GEN 103 course readings and the sources from your own research, in APA format.]

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