Guide to Information Seeking: Home

Why study information seeking?

Efficient information seeking skills boost workflow and help to reach better quality results both in your studies as well as professional life. Information seeking skills include:

• Skill to recognise information needs
• Skill to search and locate information
• Skill to evaluate and use the information critically and ethically

Information seeking process

The information seeking process includes several steps. This guide will help you get to know the different steps of the information seeking process. Among others, this guide provides you with tips for creating search terms, choosing information sources, and using the information critically and ethically.

Process steps:

• Topic/problem: an information need occurs when information is required to solve a problem.
• Planning the information retrieval: define the information need, choose the search terms, search techniques, and information sources.
• Information retrieval: perform the planned information searches, modify the search if needed.
• Evaluating the results: evaluate the results of the information retrieval - are there enough high quality resources?
• Locating publications: find out where the publications are available.
• Using and evaluating the information: make use of the sources and evaluate the whole process.

About the guide

This guide aims to support Turku UAS students and staff in searching information. It is a major part of the study material in the Information Skills Online Course.

Do you need help?

Contact the Turku UAS Library through an online form or by email library@turkuamk.fi.

We are happy to help you!