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CST - (Bachner - Alexandria)

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Determine How Scholarly Your Sources Are

Look carefully at several aspects of your source, whether it's a book, article, or website, to determine how scholarly the source is.  For example:

  • Who is the author, and what are the author's credentials?  An author with a Ph.D. in the subject is the most scholarly.
  • What's the vocabulary like?  Is it very basic, is it understandable by high school or college students, or is it the specialized vocabulary used in a specific subject?
  • Are there references (list of works cited)?  Are the references from scholarly sources?

Learn more here:

How Scholarly Are Your Sources?

Author

No credentials                                                                                      Expert with credentials

     |---------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------|

 

.

Publisher

Self-published                                                                                                Scholarly press

    |----------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------|

 

.

Audience (Look at vocabulary, concepts)

Basic                                                                                                            Scholarly, advanced

    |----------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------|

 

.

Editing/Review

None                                                                                                                  Peer reviewed

    |----------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------|

 

.

References

None                                                                                                    List of Scholarly Sources

    |----------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------|

 

.

Based on where your source falls on the sliding scales above, what is your final judgment about your source for college research?

 

Least Scholarly                                                                                                     Most Scholarly

    |----------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------|