Why going global might mean going beyond LibrarySearch

LibrarySearch is an excellent place to start any search for information. LibrarySearch works most effectively when you are looking for material held by Brookes, such as a print or electronic book on a module reading list, or an article within a journal to which we subscribe. The strengths of LibrarySearch are that it integrates with …

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Introducing the Academic Integrity course

What is academic integrity? Academic integrity is about good academic practice in research, reading and writing, but it is also about how to spot and solve problems with plagiarism and other academic breaches. The Oxford Brookes Academic Integrity course covers the rules of plagiarism but also gives students useful advice on building confidence to avoid …

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How to spot a satirical news article

Sprinter Blames Positive Covid Test On Nutritional Supplement She Didn’t Realize Contained Coronavirus This alarming headline comes from this article in the the online parody news site The Onion. At first glance, the headline could appear genuine. And if you didn’t know The Onion was satirical, you may think it was a real story. However, …

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How to find reliable information about COVID-19

With the growth of social media and instant communication, online discussions about health and vaccinations have become ubiquitous. Despite greater access to health information, and efforts by public health officials to be transparent, there can be mistrust about the authenticity of scientific advice.  Through the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increase in misinformation shared …

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YouTube rabbit holes: Are algorithms pushing us to consume more fake news?

You may have heard YouTube and other social media sites referred to as ‘rabbit holes’. ‘Disappearing down a rabbit hole’ means that even when you start out with good intentions in searching for information, you could end up reading or watching extremist content or fake news as you continue to follow links to the next …

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Who wrote this? Are they authoritative?

In the digital era, anybody can publish a research article, a news item, or an opinion piece online. If we want to prevent the spread of misinformation, we should usually ensure any publication we use comes from an authoritative source. What is an authoritative source? An authoritative source can range from an expert in your …

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What is fake news and how can we spot it?

Let's start with a definition of fake news: Any manipulative account of a supposedly newsworthy event or state of affairs which purports to be factually accurate but which is deceptive, misleading, fraudulent, demonstrably false, and/or unverifiable — especially sensational accounts in social media that are designed to ‘go viral’.'Fake news' (2020) in Chandler, D and Munday R (eds.) A Dictionary of Media …

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“Can’t you just give us 2 sides of A4?” Stepping up Library use from school to higher education

People who work in libraries love talking to other people who work in libraries about good ideas and good professional practice. And school libraries and school librarians are key to helping pupils learn and succeed, both at school and in later study and life (as the #GreatSchoolLibraries campaign is currently pointing out!) So when I …

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