Johnston awarded $5000 ALIA research grant for project on fake news

The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) has awarded a $5000 research grant to Nicole Johnston, a lecturer in information science at Edith Cowan University in Western Australia.

Johnston will use the grant money for a project titled ‘Living in the world of fake news: High school students’ evaluation of information from social media sites’, in which she will explore how students in Western Australia engage with news on social media, and how they determine whether a source is accurate or unbiased.

Research findings about students’ digital literacy skills will be presented to education departments and schools to help develop services and resources aimed at improving digital literacy.

Johnston said she was ‘very honoured and excited’ to receive this year’s research grant. ‘In the current climate of fake news and misinformation, this research will bring insight into how high school students evaluate information from social media sites. My hope is that my research will be used by the library community to develop services and resources that are aimed at enhancing students’ digital literacy skills.’

For more information about the grant, see the ALIA website.

Tags: aliafake newsgrantresearch

Category: Library news