“Information literacy is the ability to think critically and make balanced judgements about any information we find and use. It empowers us as citizens to develop informed views and to engage fully with society.” - CILIPS (The Library and information association)
We use information in a variety of ways to make decisions and engage with the world. It has never been more important than now when a huge amount of information is available to us but it can be difficult to assess the quality of the information - to tell what is true and what is false.
Information literacy helps us to do this by using our critical thinking. It can do this for everyday life, citizenship, education, work and health.
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Applying information literacy (IL) principles to any information source - whether a web page, database search result, research article, or an AI‑generated output - requires a critical, questioning mindset. No single tool or source should be treated as infallible. Instead, information should be evaluated, compared, and interpreted carefully before being used to support decisions, professional practice, or study.
Different sources have different types of authority, and what counts as “reliable” depends on the situation. Expertise may come from clinical research, lived experience, official guidance, professional bodies, or domain specialists—each offering value, but not equally appropriate for every question.
Application:
Evaluate who created the information. Consider the author’s qualifications, the organisation behind the work, and whether their perspective is relevant to the question you’re asking. This applies equally to a research paper, a government website, a community health page, or an AI output drawing on unknown sources.
Action:
Check multiple perspectives. For example, compare clinical guidance with academic research and patient experience materials to build a fuller picture.
Information isn’t created in a single step. Websites may be outdated, research may be superseded, and AI systems may pull from older or biased material. Understanding how a piece of information was created helps you judge its reliability.
Application:
Recognise that every information source - whether a news article, a clinical summary, a systematic review, or an AI response - comes from an underlying process shaped by human choices, data quality, and editorial standards.
Action:
Check publication dates, version histories, and the methodology behind research. For AI tools, be aware that underlying datasets and prompts influence results and may require refinement or further checking.
Effective searching is an iterative, exploratory process. No single search or database will give you everything.
Application:
Use “lateral reading” techniques: leave the page or tool you’re on, verify claims elsewhere, and broaden the search to include different types of sources such as academic journals, professional guidelines, high‑quality news outlets, or subject‑specific databases.
Action:
Break down your search into key concepts. Try alternative keywords, use filters, and compare results from multiple platforms. For example, verify a claim from a website by checking NICE guidelines, PubMed articles, and NHS Inform summaries.
Information is created by people, organisations, and communities—and this labour has economic, legal, and ethical dimensions. Copyright, licensing, privacy, and attribution all shape how information can be used.
Application:
Respect copyright and intellectual property in all contexts. This includes recognising when materials are behind paywalls, when creative works can be reused, and when academic integrity requires citation. AI tools may occasionally reproduce protected content, so users must be cautious.
Action:
Always cite original work, acknowledge creators, and avoid copying text or images without permission. When using digital content or AI‑assisted outputs in assignments, research, or workplace materials, make sure your final work represents your own analysis and judgment.
Knowledge is not static; it develops through ongoing discussion, critique, and exchange across communities, disciplines, and platforms.
Application:
Treat any information - whether from a journal article, an online forum, or an AI tool - as part of a wider conversation. Understanding comes from engaging with multiple viewpoints and recognising how ideas evolve.
Action:
Compare different sources, evaluate arguments, and identify gaps. Contribute thoughtfully - through writing, discussion, or practice - by citing a broad range of credible sources and showing how they support or challenge each other.
These principles apply across many everyday tools and contexts: