Instructors often require students to use only scholarly or peer-reviewed information in their papers. 

The chart below explains the differences.

 

NOTE:  When searching the library's databases, you can often limit your results to ONLY scholarly/peer-reviewed articles by checking the appropiate box when entering your search terms.  Some databases automatically sort your list of results into scholarly, popular, newspapers, etc.  Click the appropriate tab at the top of the results list to see only the type of articles you want.

 

Library Databases vs. Information from the Web:  The databases provided by the library are subscription collections, and contain information that is not usually available for free on the Web.  Databases contain information from popular magazines, newspapers, trade publications, and scholarly journals.  Most sort the information into these categories for you, or allow you to limit your search to scholarly or "peer-reviewed" articles.  Scholarly journal articles have been judged by experts in the field to contain high quality information.Articles from popular magazines and newspapers should be checked for accuracy by comparing them with other, more expert sources. 

 

For help in determining whether information is scholarly, view this 5 minute presentation created by librarian Karen Munro at the University of California-Berkeley:    

 

http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/doemoff/tutorials/scholarlycontentonline.html

 

 

 

Scholarly	Popular
Written by experts in the field, and author's credentials are given	Written by journalists or others who are not experts; credentials are usually not given
Written for an academic audience (students, other scholars and researchers who are knowledgeable about the subject and can understand complex language and jargon).	Written for the general public, generally at about the 8th grade reading level.
Contains full citations for any sources quoted or used for information.  This contributes to the trustworthiness of the article, because the reader can check these sources and verify their content and authenticity.	Usually does not cite sources or have bibliographies.  The reader must consult additional sources to determine the accuracy of the information provided.
Usually based on original research or new applications of others' research.	Could be about any topic or event.
Does not contain photos, illustrations (other than charts or graphs)  or advertisements.   Printed on plain paper.	Often contains many photos, illustrations and advertisements.  Often printed  on glossy paper or in newspapers.

 

 

 

Peer-Reviewed:  "Refers to a research report or paper that has been read and evaluated by experts in the topic.  "Peer reviewed journals" are those in which all the published articles have been reviewed by experts and determined to be of a quality and completeness that make them acceptable for publication and distribution [in scholarly journals].  Also known as refereed". 

~ from http://websites.afar.org/site/PageServer?pagename=HC_glossary#p

 

"A scholarly journal contains articles and letters written by scholars to report results of research and other scholarly activities.  For most academic papers, scholarly articles are excellent and preferred sources for supporting your arguments".

~from http://www6.wittenberg.edu/lib/research/schol-pop.php

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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