Manage: Organizing and Using Information Ethically

Manage is the sixth pillar in the SCONUL Seven Pillars of Information Literacy. It means organizing information and using it in an ethical, responsible, and professional way. After students find and evaluate sources, they need to manage what they have collected so they can use it correctly in their own work.

Managing information is not only about keeping notes neat. It includes saving sources, recording references, organizing files, respecting copyright, avoiding plagiarism, protecting privacy, and using information honestly. This pillar is especially important in digital learning because students can copy, download, save, share, and reuse information very quickly.

Definition

A simple classroom definition is:

Manage means organizing information carefully and using it ethically in learning, writing, presenting, and sharing.

The Manage pillar comes after students have identified what they need, scoped the task, planned the search, gathered sources, and evaluated quality. At this stage, students should know which information is useful. Now they must handle it responsibly.

For example, a student preparing a presentation may have several websites, a textbook chapter, two images, and one video. Managing this information means saving the sources, writing notes in their own words, recording where each image came from, and citing the sources in the final presentation.

Organizing Information

Students often collect information but fail to organize it. They may have many open tabs, copied paragraphs, screenshots, downloaded files, and links saved in different places. This creates confusion and increases the risk of plagiarism.

Good organization includes:

• keeping a list of sources
• saving links in one document
• using folders for files
• naming files clearly
• grouping notes by subtopic
• marking direct quotations
• separating personal ideas from source ideas
• recording dates and authors
• keeping drafts and final versions separate

A simple research folder might include:

This kind of organization helps students write and present more clearly.

Taking Notes Responsibly

Note-taking is part of managing information. Students should avoid copying large sections from sources. Instead, they should understand the meaning and write notes in their own words.

Useful note-taking habits include:

• write short points, not full copied paragraphs
• use quotation marks for exact words
• record the source beside the note
• group notes by question or subtopic
• write personal comments separately
• check that the note still reflects the original meaning

For example:

The second version shows understanding. It is not just copied text.

Ethical Use of Information

Ethical use means using information honestly and fairly. Students should respect the people who created the information and the audience who will receive it.

Ethical information use includes:

• giving credit to sources
• avoiding plagiarism
• quoting accurately
• paraphrasing honestly
• summarizing fairly
• respecting copyright
• using images and media legally
• not changing evidence to mislead
• protecting private information
• following teacher instructions about AI tools

Students should understand that information has creators. Books, websites, videos, images, graphs, music, reports, and software usually belong to someone. Even when information is easy to copy, it should still be used responsibly.

Quoting, Paraphrasing, Summarizing, and Copying

Students often confuse different ways of using information.

Copying becomes plagiarism when a student presents someone else’s words, ideas, images, or work as their own. Plagiarism may happen deliberately or accidentally. Both are serious because they misrepresent learning.

Teachers should help students practise paraphrasing and citation rather than simply warning them not to copy.

Citation and Referencing

Citation means showing where information came from. The exact citation style may vary by school, college, university, or subject. Students may use simple source lists in school and more formal styles in higher education.

For many classroom tasks, students can record:

• author or organization
• title
• date
• website or publisher
• link
• date accessed, if required

A basic source entry may look like this:

UNESCO. "Media and Information Literacy." UNESCO website. Accessed 2026.

The goal at school level is to build the habit of acknowledging sources. As students progress, they can learn formal referencing styles such as APA, MLA, Chicago, or institution-specific formats.

ICT Connection

ICT can support information management, but it can also create problems if students are careless.

Useful ICT tools include:

• folders and cloud storage
• bookmarks
• note-taking apps
• shared documents
• citation tools
• reference managers
• spreadsheets for source lists
• LMS submission records
• version history
• plagiarism-awareness tools

For example, a student can create a table in a document with columns for source title, author, date, link, useful notes, and citation. This simple tool can prevent lost sources and improve academic honesty.

Digital tools also make copying easier. Students may copy text, images, AI-generated answers, or slides without understanding or credit. Teachers should explain that digital convenience does not remove ethical responsibility.

Managing AI-Supported Information

AI tools create new information management issues. Students may use AI tools for brainstorming, explanation, outlining, or feedback, depending on teacher rules. However, AI output should not be treated as automatically correct or as the student’s own independent work.

Responsible use of AI-supported information includes:

• following teacher or institutional rules
• checking AI claims against reliable sources
• not submitting AI-generated work as personal work if this is not allowed
• acknowledging AI use when required
• correcting errors
• protecting private or sensitive information
• using AI as support, not as a replacement for learning

AI tools can help organize ideas, but they do not remove the need for evaluation, citation, and honest authorship.

Flashcard

What does Manage mean in the SCONUL model?

Tap to reveal

Answer

Manage means organizing information and using it ethically, including note-taking, source records, citation, copyright awareness, privacy, and avoiding plagiarism.

Common Mistakes

A common mistake is to save information without recording the source. Students may later use the information but forget where it came from.

Another mistake is to think that changing a few words avoids plagiarism. Good paraphrasing requires understanding the idea, rewriting it honestly, and citing the source.

A third mistake is to use images, charts, videos, or music without permission or credit. Visual and multimedia content also has creators and rights.

A fourth mistake is to rely fully on digital tools for honesty. Citation tools and plagiarism checkers can help, but they cannot replace student responsibility.

The Manage pillar helps students become organized and ethical users of information. It supports academic honesty, responsible ICT use, better writing, clearer presentations, and respectful participation in learning communities.