Scholarly sources report on original research by experts in a particular academic discipline. Often they go through a peer-review process, which means that they are evaluated by reputable scholars in the field before they are published.
| Part | Questions to Ask |
|---|---|
| Author: | Who wrote it? |
| Sources: | Does the author acknowledge his or her sources? How? |
| Content: | Is the content substantial? Does it appear to be valid and well-researched? Does it make sense, based on your own background knowledge, or what other articles have to say on the topic? |
| Writing: | Is the language scholarly? Is the article well written? Do illustrations and data support the content in a scholarly fashion, or do they appear to be attention-getting, or sensational? |
| Audience: | Who is the article written for? Is it written for experts and researchers in the field, or for members of the general public? |
| Journal: | Is it published in a scholarly journal? |
Is the article published in a scholarly journal? How would you find out?
Investigate the journal using these two strategies:
1. Visit the journal’s website to learn more about the periodical.
Is it published by a scholarly association such as the Canadian Sociological Association?
Is it published by a university press?
On the journal’s website, look for the “about this journal” or “submission guidelines” section to learn about the publication’s editorial policy.
2. Search the journal name in LibrarySearch to determine if it is scholarly or peer-reviewed.
The item record for a particular journal indicates whether the publication is peer-reviewed as highlighted in the screenshot below:
NOTE: when you use the "peer-reviewed Articles" limiter in LibrarySearch remember that you are excluding scholarly books.
A scholarly book or a scholarly chapter in a book is authored by an academic in a broader, relevant field. In books you can usually find a section called "Contributors" (when it's an anthology with multiple authors) or "about the author" (for single-author books). Scholarly books and chapters also include their references in footnotes or a bibliography.