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Writing 100 (Spring 2025, Pravin)

What to Look for in a Scholarly Article

Scholarly vs. Non-Scholarly

graphic of scholarly and non-scholarly sources

from video "Scholarly vs non-scholarly sources - academic resources Research ready" (1:58) from Southern Cross University Library

Scholarly and Non-Scholarly Characteristics

Scholarly Non-Scholarly aka Popular
can include articles and books can include articles, books, and many other information sources from blogs to government publications
Scholarly articles are also referred to as peer-reviewed or refereed articles.  These are a sub-set of scholarly articles. sources that are non-scholarly can still be useful and credible
Scholarly books are often produced by university presses (e.g. University of California Press) or other publishers focused on academic literature produced by a variety of individuals and organizations from reputable organizations to self-publishers
include citations, usually extensive (lots!) citations may or may not be included
written by and for faculty, researchers or scholars (research-focused) written for a variety of audiences

Peer Review in 3 Minutes

North Carolina State University (NCSU) Libraries, 3:15

  1. What do peer reviewers do?  How are they similar to or different from editors?
  2. Who are the primary customers of scholarly journals?
  3. Do databases only include peer-reviewed articles?  How do you know?