Information Literacy and Academic Research Skills of Postgraduate Students in Ahmadu Bello University Zaria

This study assessed the information literacy and academic research skills of postgraduate students at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, in Kaduna State, North West Nigeria. Postgraduate programmes demand high-level research competencies, and deficiencies in information literacy can impair the quality of dissertations, theses, and scholarly publications produced by these students. A descriptive survey design was employed, and a structured information literacy assessment questionnaire was administered to 240 postgraduate students in the Faculties of Arts, Social Sciences, and Sciences. The study measured five information literacy dimensions: ability to identify information needs, search strategy construction, source evaluation, information synthesis, and ethical attribution. Findings revealed moderate overall literacy levels, with the weakest performance in source evaluation and citation ethics. Students in science faculties scored higher on search strategy construction, while arts students showed stronger synthesis skills. The study recommended that the university library develop faculty-specific information literacy workshops embedded in postgraduate research methods courses. Keywords: information literacy, research skills, postgraduate students, Ahmadu Bello University, academic library.