What is a scholarly source?

Scholarly sources (also referred to as bookish, peer-reviewed, or refereed sources) are written by experts in a particular field and serve to proceed others interested in that field upwards to date on the nigh recent research, findings, and news. These resources volition provide the most substantial information for your research and papers.

What is peer-review?

When a source has been peer-reviewed, it has undergone the review and scrutiny of a review board of colleagues in the author's field. They evaluate this source as role of the body of research for a particular subject area and make recommendations regarding its publication in a journal, revisions prior to publication, or, in some cases, refuse its publication.

Why use scholarly sources?

Scholarly sources' authority and credibility improve the quality of your ain paper or enquiry project.

How tin can I tell if a source is scholarly?

The following characteristics tin assistance you lot differentiate scholarly sources from those that are not. Be certain to look at the criteria in each category when making your determination, rather than basing your decision on merely one slice of information.

Authors

  • Are author names provided?
  • Are the authors' credentials provided?
  • Are the credentials relevant to the information provided?

Publishers

  • Who is the publisher of the information?
  • Is the publisher an academic institution, scholarly, or professional organization?
  • Is their purpose for publishing this data evident?

Audition

  • Who is the intended audience of this source?
  • Is the linguistic communication geared toward those with noesis of a specific subject rather than the general public?

Content

  • Why is the data beingness provided?
  • Are sources cited?
  • Are there charts, graphs, tables, and bibliographies included?
  • Are research claims documented?
  • Are conclusions based on evidence provided?
  • How long is the source?

Currency/Timeliness

  • Is the engagement of publication evident?

Additional Tips for Specific Scholarly Source Types

Each resource type below will also have unique criteria that tin can exist applied to it to make up one's mind if it is scholarly.

Books

  • Publishers
    • Books published past a University Press are likely to exist scholarly.
    • Professional organizations and the U.S. Government Press Office can likewise be indicators that a book is scholarly.
  • Book Reviews
    • Book reviews tin can provide clues as to if a source is scholarly and highlight the intended audition. See our Find Reviews guide to locate reviews on titles of interest.

Articles

  • Are the author'due south professional person affiliations provided?
  • Who is the publisher?
  • How frequently is the periodical published?
  • How many and what kinds of advertisements are present? For example, is the advertizing clearly geared towards readers in a specific bailiwick or occupation?
  • For more information well-nigh dissimilar periodical types, run into our Selecting Sources guide.

Web Pages

  • What is the domain of the folio (for example: .gov, .edu, etc.)?
  • Who is publishing or sponsoring the page?
  • Is contact information for the writer/publisher provided?
  • How recently was the folio updated?
  • Is the information biased? Scholarly materials published online should not take whatever testify of bias.

Is My Source Scholarly?: INFOGRAPHIC

Use the flowchart below to make up one's mind if your source is scholarly.

Is My Source Scholarly? (Accessible View)

Step one: Source

The article is well-nigh probable scholarly if:

  • You found the article in a library database or Google Scholar
  • The periodical the article appears in is peer-reviewed

Motility to Step 2: Authors

Step ii: Authors

The source is most likely scholarly if:

  • The authors' credentials are provided
  • The authors are affiliated with a university or other research institute

Motility to Footstep iii: Content

Step 3: Content

The article is most probable scholarly if:

  • The source is longer than 10 pages
  • Has a works cited or bibliography
  • It does not try to persuade or bias the reader
  • It attempts to persuade or bias the reader, simply treats the topic objectively, the information is well-supported, and it includes a works cited or bibliography

If the commodity meets the criteria in Steps ane-iii information technology is most probable scholarly.