The following checklist is used by librarians and archivists in assisting honors thesis writers to understand the thesis research process. The five standards listed below are versions of the Association of College and Research Libraries Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education.

By the end of their required honors thesis research appointment students should:

STANDARD 1: Determine the nature & extent of information needed

• Be aware of a variety of resources.
• Understand the structure of knowledge and its communication within the thesis
  discipline.
• Differentiate between primary and secondary sources, archival vs. published
  materials, raw vs. processed data, etc.
• Be able to assess the availability of resources and how to overcome
  obstacles through ILL, travel, or other means.

STANDARD 2: Access needed information effectively & efficiently

• Develop an effective search strategy.
• Navigate the Smith Libraries web site and know how to obtain items once
  identified.
• Understand the limitations of full-text access to sources.
• Make use of the extended honors thesis borrowing privilege while respecting its
  limitations.
• Understand time required to acquire resources – and the need to create a
  reasonable timeline for the research process.

STANDARD 3: Evaluate information & its sources critically…

• Assess the validity & accuracy of studies using a variety of tools.
• Be aware of the need for a thesis which contains a balance of publication
  formats, dates, and perspectives.
• Feel encouraged to return for more help.

STANDARD 4: Use information effectively to accomplish a stated purpose

• Keep research log of resources checked, subject terms used, and complete
  citations for items found.
• Feel empowered to use the assistance from Jacobson Center & Educational
  Technology Services staff for both thesis written and oral presentations.
• Be able to locate help for creating final pdf version of thesis.

STANDARD 5: Understand many of the issues surrounding the use of information and access and use information ethically and legally

• Identify which citation style to use and understand when to cite research materials.
• Evaluate appropriateness of using RefWorks citation software to manage thesis bibliography; know how to access and get help.
• Understand when copyright permission is needed for use of materials.
• Be aware that the writer of the thesis holds its copyright and thus has the right to grant
  or deny permission for future use of its content by others.

Smith College Information Literacy Team
5/05

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