What is a scholarly source?
A "scholarly resource" describes a type of resource (usually a journal article or a book) that is written by an expert in a field of study or subject. Many of these resources, particularly journal articles, go through a rigorous process to be published. The information in the article must be verified by other experts in the same field before it gets published. This process is referred to as "peer reviewed."
Because the information is written by experts and verified by other experts, scholarly resources are considered the most appropriate resources to use at the college level. Also, these articles often report the process and the results of studies conducted by the authors. If you have ever seen or heard anything that stated "studies show...." - these articles are those studies.
Journal articles and books can be scholarly, while newspapers, magazines, and websites are not considered scholarly. However, the information in newspapers, magazines, and websites can be reliable, so occasionally these are okay to use when conducting academic research.If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for an assignment, please contact your instructor.
This video on Scholarly and Popular Resources goes over this entire concept in a little more detail:
Where can I find scholarly sources in the library?
You can search most of the library databases for scholarly resources. Some databases only contain scholarly resources such as JSTOR, SAGE, and Project Muse, while others such as EBSCOhost or ProQuest have a box you can check that will assure your results are all from scholarly sources. If you use the Library OneSearch box on the library homepage, there is a box you can check to limit your results to scholarly resources.
If you still have questions you can chat in real-time with a librarian here.
