Librarian and information literacy lead
I teach research through source comparison and evidence checks, asking pupils who produced information, how it answers their question and what limitations they need to record.
Explore the collectionI lead library and information-literacy work and teach research skills in Year 7 and academic writing and research skills in Year 12. I teach source evaluation because a confident answer is not necessarily a correct one. Pupils need ways to check where information came from and what evidence supports it.
Research is more than finding a result quickly. I want pupils to compare sources, consider who produced them and ask whether the information is relevant to the question. Digital tools can return fluent answers, but pupils still need to examine the evidence and decide what they can responsibly use.
I look for resources that give pupils a clear process for searching, checking and recording information. A checklist can help, but it should prompt judgement rather than turn evaluation into a tick-box exercise. I value activities that let pupils practise explaining why a source is useful and where its limitations might be.
Check who produced information and what supports it.
Compare sources in relation to the question.
Ask pupils to explain a source’s usefulness and limits.
Explore these templates and decide what fits your own setting.
Study and learning skills
Write a focused, researchable and measurable question; plan primary methods with consent and anonymity in mind; judge sources; take notes in pupils’ own words; and propose an evidence-linked action.
Study and learning skills
Identify the key concepts in a question, choose related terms, build a focused search string, test it and record why a change improves the results.
Study and learning skills
Evaluate what fictional notices state, what their publication details support and which claims require current verification before sharing.
