Information Science Cheat Sheet

The core ideas of Information Science distilled into a single, scannable reference — perfect for review or quick lookup.

PiqCue — piqcue.com/information-science/cheatsheet

Quick Reference

Information Retrieval

The process of obtaining relevant information resources from a collection based on a user's query. It involves indexing, searching, ranking, and presenting results from structured or unstructured datasets.

Metadata

Structured data that describes, explains, locates, or otherwise makes it easier to retrieve, use, or manage an information resource. Metadata is often called 'data about data.'

Knowledge Organization

The systematic arrangement and classification of information using schemes such as taxonomies, thesauri, ontologies, and classification systems to facilitate discovery and access.

Information Architecture

The structural design of shared information environments, focusing on organizing, labeling, and navigating content so that users can find what they need efficiently.

Shannon's Information Theory

A mathematical framework developed by Claude Shannon in 1948 that quantifies information in terms of bits, defines channel capacity, and establishes fundamental limits on data compression and reliable communication over noisy channels.

Human-Information Interaction

The study of how people seek, encounter, evaluate, and use information in various contexts. It examines information needs, search behaviors, sense-making, and the cognitive processes involved in interacting with information systems.

Data Curation

The active management of data throughout its lifecycle, including creation, quality assurance, documentation, preservation, and making data accessible and reusable for future research.

Controlled Vocabulary

A predefined, standardized set of terms used for indexing and retrieval in information systems. It reduces ambiguity by ensuring that the same concept is always described using the same term.

Information Literacy

The ability to recognize when information is needed and to effectively locate, evaluate, and use that information. It includes understanding how information is produced, valued, and disseminated.

Digital Preservation

The set of processes and strategies aimed at ensuring continued access to digital materials over the long term, addressing challenges such as hardware obsolescence, format migration, and bit rot.

Key Terms at a Glance

Bit:The fundamental unit of information, representing a single binary value (0 or 1) as defined by Shannon's information theory.

Boolean Search:A search technique using logical operators (AND, OR, NOT) to combine or exclude terms in a query.

Classification:The systematic arrangement of information into categories based on shared characteristics or predefined schemes.

Controlled Vocabulary:A standardized set of terms used for consistent indexing and retrieval of information.

Data Curation:The active management of data throughout its lifecycle to ensure quality, accessibility, and long-term preservation.

Data Mining:The process of discovering patterns, correlations, and insights from large datasets using statistical and computational methods.

Digital Preservation:Strategies and processes for ensuring continued access to digital information over time despite technological change.

Dublin Core:A set of 15 standardized metadata elements for describing digital resources across disciplines and domains.

Entropy:In information theory, a measure of the average uncertainty or information content of a message or random variable.

FAIR Principles:Guidelines that data should be Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable to support scientific data management.

Indexing:The process of assigning terms, keywords, or codes to information resources to facilitate their discovery and retrieval.

Information Architecture:The structural design and organization of information environments to support usability and findability.

Information Literacy:The competency to identify information needs and to locate, evaluate, and effectively use information.

Information Overload:A state in which the volume of available information exceeds an individual's processing capacity.

Information Retrieval:The science of searching for and obtaining relevant information from a collection or database.

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