Health (Prof. Asili)

What are Scholarly Sources?

Scholarly sources are also knows as Academic, Refereed, Peer-Reviewed, or Primary Research articles. These terms may vary by professor, regardless they are all describe the same type of source with the following characteristics:

1. They are written by experts - authors hold a Master's or PhD degree and are experts in a specific field.

2. They are written for other experts or people in academia. Think of each scholarly work as a voice in an ongoing conversation to which you will add your voice when you write a paper. 

3. They use scholarly language with technical, discipline-specific vocabulary.

4. They provide verifiable and reliable evidence for claims. Even if the resource is a general history/overview it will contain well-researched information that the reader can verify.

5. They may be peer-reviewed. Many journals go through an editorial process where other experts review and assess the information. 

How do you know if a journal is peer-reviewed? Some databases will let you check a box to limit to peer-reviewed articles. You can also look at the journal's website which will explain the editorial process including whether or not the journal is peer- reviewed.