When conducting research, one must not only have the ability to know where to search for information, but the skill to evaluate sources for credibility. This Information Literacy LibGuide is a helpful tool for learning about what Information Literacy (IL) is and how to employ it when researching.
As Women's and Gender Studies scholars, we must understand the ways that scholarship is created, and acknowledge the barriers that many women, Black and Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC), and LGBTQ+ folks face when creating knowledge and new sources of information. Research Librarian Dawn Stahura created the ACT UP method for evaluating sources as a way for scholars to critically examine their sources and the hierarchies of privilege within the world of scholarly publication. The ACT UP method was directly inspired by the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, the social justice advocacy group founded in the 1980s. Each letter in the acronym ACT UP represents a different aspect of a source to evaluate when conducting research.