Is your source a scholarly work? Scholarly articles are research publications written by and for experts. When experts conduct research, they publish their findings in scholarly journals. Before publication, these articles must endure a rigorous editorial process -- they are refereed by fellow experts in what is called a peer-review process. In contrast, popular magazine and newspaper articles are written by journalists for the general public.
Reputation--Consider where the data or information is coming from.
- Authorship: Who wrote the item? What are their credentials? Are they affiliated with any reputable institution?
- Publisher: Is the publisher a scholarly press? What is their reputation? If you are unfamiliar with a publisher, investigate their website.
- Review Process: Do items undergo any kind of formal review process? If so, how rigorous is this process? Who are involved in this review process, and how many are involved? What are their credentials and who are they affiliated with?
Content--How easily are readers able to scrutinize the author's work? Scholarly works can include research design and methodology to help readers assess the quality of information.
- Language: Does the item use language geared for experts in the field? If it uses language appropriate for general audiences it probably isn't scholarly.
- References: Scholars build from and add to the work of others. Scholarly items give proper honor and attribution by citing prior works.
Target--For whom is this item intended and why?
- Audience: Scholarly works are written by and for academics. Glossy magazines filled with color images and sold in grocery stores are meant for general audiences.
- Intent: Scholarly works are solely intended to enhance scholarship, adding to the body of knowledge in a particular field. The knowledge presented is expected to be objective. The presence of bias or the intent to persuade readers falls outside this stated purpose. That is why scholarly journals have minimal to no advertising.
