Step 2: Gather


Teachers: Your goal as a teacher and information literacy coach is to guide the students to resources that answer their research question or test their hypothesis, ensuring, through active dialog, that students engage and extract meaning from what they read, listen to, or view.

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~ Samuel Johnson
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Library Catalogs

Reference Databases

Search Engines

About this step

The heart of the gathering process is the reading, viewing, listening—and learning from the sources gathered. But first, students must find quality information about their topic. It's a complex process that involves not only print and digital search and retrieval skills, but a high level of literacy. They need to understand the power of keywords to pull information from vast indexes. They need to understand scholarship and how information is accepted as fact and theory, so they can evaluate whether a resource is valid. Finally, students need to be able to effectively record notes and citations, so that they can discover ideas and remember where they found them.

With digital tools students will find a lot of data very quickly. Not too long ago, finding information on a topic might have been a challenge, but what the students did find in their school or public library represented information based on scholarship and editorial fact-checking. Students need to learn the difference between scholarly sources, written by experts who follow scientific methods, and popular works.

Wikipedia: The expertise of the masses

With the advent of collaborative information websites, your students will be presented with many information resources that follow no scholarly process or the publishing traditions of print media. Fact checking is conducted by anyone who logs on. The most familiar example of this is Wikipedia, the encyclopedia generated and corrected by the masses. Wikipedia results will come up in nearly every common search your students conduct. Your students need to understand that it is not an information source reviewed and approved by scholars like the Encyclopedia Britannica or Encarta. Though it is not scholarship, it can be useful. Wikipedia often provides the only information available on obscure or timely topics.

Annotated bibliography

When the printed word ruled the world, it was easy to tell the difference between the National Enquirer and Britannica. It was simple to glance at a bibliography and judge the source. Today's challenge is finding useful and valid sources in the ocean (or swamp) of available information. Your students should be able to create citations that other researchers can follow, but also explain why they chose a particular resource.

New tools for information processing

As digital natives, many of your students will adapt to new technologies very quickly. They will find creative ways to apply the tools they use everyday. Some though, may be distracted by technology while attempting to find information and create meaning. Therefore, these guidelines include both traditional pen and paper and innovative digital tools.

Student sees:

About this step

In order to accomplish this, you will:


As you read, you will "interview" your sources.



  • You will look for trends and patterns supported by facts.

When do you have enough?



Teacher Guide

Your goal is to guide the students to resources that answer their research question or test their hypothesis. Work with your library media specialist to "pre-search" for the best resources. Model the search and reading (viewing, listening) process for your students.

Student sees:

Where will you look for information?


In these locations:


Look for:

  • Books
  • Scholarly articles
  • Magazine and newspaper articles
  • Sound recordings, including podcasts
  • Video in DVDs and streaming formats on the web
  • Historical documents and artifacts

How will you introduce your student to information resources?

Describe where information is located, the variety of formats available, and the tools used to search and access.

Student sees:


  • Internet search engines
  • Article databases
  • Library catalogs
  • Interviews


Search Tips:


What tools will you require your students to use in their information search?

Choose the best tools for the research question: search engines, reference databases, library catalogs, etc.

Student sees:

Which keywords will you use?

Language is power! Choose your search terms carefully!



  • Use broader terms searching library catalogs and databases.

How will you guide your students to select appropriate keywords?

Guide your students in selecting keywords that are appropriate to their search objective and the database or search engine they are using.

Student sees:

How will you identify the best sources to use?


WHEN?When was the information published? Is it current?

Other considerations:

AND, Some technical tricks


How will you advise your students on evaluation of resources?

For any information resource selected, students should consider the who, what, where, when, and why of the choice. Evaluation must become second nature.

Student sees:

How will you record what you find?


Or, you can use one of the following:

  • Notebook paper
  • Citation Management program (Zotero, EndNote or Mendeley)
  • Word processor (Microsoft Word™ or Apple Pages™)
  • Other software (PowerPoint™ or Keynote™)



How will you instruct your students in note-taking?

Use traditional notecards, paper or electronic tools. Remind the students to read (view or listen) carefully. They should engage the mind, extract information, and then record.

Student sees:

How will you give credit to your sources?






How will you instruct your students to format a bibliography?

The purpose of a citation is to identify the source so that others can locate the same source.

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