Is It Scholarly?: How Do I... Undergraduate Research Guides
Is It Scholarly?: How Do I... Undergraduate Research Guides
Is It Scholarly?: How Do I... Undergraduate Research Guides
edu/ugl
Is It Scholarly?
How Do I... Undergraduate Research Guides
What is peer-review?
When a source has been peer-reviewed it has undergone the review and scrutiny of a review board of colleagues in the author's field. They evaluate this source as part of the body of research for a particular discipline and make recommendations regarding its publication in a journal, revisions prior to publication, or, in some cases, reject its publication.
Criteria:
Authors Are author names included? Are the author's credentials provided? Are the credentials relevant to the information provided? Audience Who is the intended audience of this source? Is the language geared toward those with knowledge of a specific discipline or the general public?
Content Publishers Why is the information being provided or the ar Who is the publisher of the information? ticle written? Is the publisher an academic institution, scholarly, Are sources cited? or professional organization? Are there references to other writings on this Is their purpose for publishing this source evident? topic? Are there charts, graphs, tables, and bibliographies Currency/Timeliness included? Is the date of publication evident? Are research claims documented? Is currency of the information crucial to your re Are conclusions based on evidence provided? search? How long is the source?
Books Web pages Date of publication and currency What is the domain of the page? Is the information current enough for your Who is publishing or sponsoring the page? purposes? Strip back the URL to discover the source of Is a historical perspective important? the page. Publishers Is contact information for the author/publisher University press likely to be scholarly provided? Professional organizations and the U.S. How recently was the page updated? Government Printing Office can also be Be particularly wary of bias when viewing web indicators of scholarly content. pages. Anyone can create a web page about any Are there any book reviews? topic. YOU must verify the validity of the Check sources such as Book Review Index information. or search databases in the subject area or For more specific guidelines in evaluating web your topic to locate book reviews. pages see the following. Evaluating Internet Sources: Articles http://www.library.illinois.edu/ugl/ Is biographical information for the author howdoi/webeval.html provided? Who is the publisher? How frequently is the periodical published? How many and what kinds of advertisements are present? For example, is the advertising clearly geared towards readers in a specific discipline or occupation? Check out other How Do For more specific guidelines in identifying I Guides in this series, periodical types see the following. Evaluate My Sources: Is it scholarly? Distinguishing Periodical Choosing the Best Types: Source http://www.library.illinois.edu/ugl/ Evaluating Internet howdoi/pertype.html