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Overview
How Scholarly?
Sources of information can range from being not scholarly, to very scholarly, to somewhere in the middle. Each source will go somewhere on this scale:
| 0 |---------------------------------------------------5---------------------------------------------------| 10 | ||
| Least Scholarly e.g., childrens' books |
Mid-Level Sources that are not as scholarly, but still credible, include popular periodicals such as magazines and newspapers. |
Most Scholarly Scholarly sources typically include academic journal articles. |
Making Sure: Is This a Scholarly Article?
Sources that fall on the more scholarly end of the scale will typically have these characteristics:
|
Most scholarly - expert with advanced degree (e.g., Ph.D., M.D., J.D.) in relevant subject |
Most scholarly - other experts, professionals, or scholars in that subject area; vocabulary and concepts very advanced/technical |
Most scholarly - extensive list of scholarly sources |
Most scholarly - a university, professional, or academic press; for example: Oxford University Press, American Psychological Association, Elsevier |
Most scholarly - the author's peers (experts in a subject area) critically evaluate all aspects of the work; this is called Peer Review. It can also be called Refereed. |
Most scholarly - to inform or educate about a specific topic or to describe a research study; should be objective (it may support a particular side, but with documentation and fair consideration of the other side) |
| For more information, go to: libguides.nvcc.edu/scholarly-info |
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Making Sure: Is This Journal Peer Reviewed?
- UlrichsWeb Global Serials Directory This link opens in a new windowInformation on selected periodicals and serials published in the United States and throughout the world. (VIVA)
To check whether or not a journal is peer reviewed, use Ulrichsweb Serials Directory:
- Enter the title of your journal (NOT the article title)
- Ulrichsweb refers to peer reviewed journals as refereed journals. If your journal is peer reviewed, you will see a little referee's jersey icon to the left that looks like this:
