RLG100/RLG280: The World's Religions in Global Perspective

The process of determining whether a book or an article is scholarly can be challenging. It is important to ensure that the sources you are incorporating into your essay are scholarly (as opposed to popular, non-scholarly sources, such as Wikipedia).

There are several benefits associated with using authoritative, academic sources:

• it demonstrates to your instructor that you are familiar with the literature on your topic
• effectively incorporating current and relevant (in other words, the best) sources into your paper strengthens the quality of your own arguments
• it shows that you have done the required research (and thus preparation) before jumping into writing.

Questions to Keep in Mind

As you are examining a specific book or an article, keep the following questions in mind:

• Who wrote and/or published this source?
• What credentials qualify him or her to write on this topic?
• Is the author associated with an institution of higher learning?
• What else has this author written?
• What sources does he or she cite in her bibliography?

Evaluating Books, Journal Articles, and Web Sites

There are several criteria that you can apply to help you determine whether a source is scholarly or non-scholarly.

Critical Evaluation of Information Resources
Lists five criteria that can be used to determine the usefulness, currency, and objectivity of an information resource (such as a book or an article).

Critical Evaluation of Web Resources
Outlines five criteria that can be used to evaluate the usefulness, currency, and objectivity of a web site.

Identifying Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles & Books

You might be asked to find “peer-reviewed” publications for your essay. See Academic Research Basics section of this guide for instructions on how to determine whether an article or a book is peer-reviewed or not.