Scholarly Sources

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Scholarly Sources

• How to find scholarly sources using GMU Libraries
  databases.

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What are Scholarly Sources?

• Websters Third International Dictionary defines
  scholarly as
• Concerned with academic study, especially
  research, exhibiting the methods and attitudes of
  a scholar, and having the manner and appearance
  of a scholar.

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Types of Periodical Sources

• 1. Scholarly Sources Come in the form of
  scholarly journals.
• 2. Trade Sources Come in the form of trade
  journals.
• 3. Popular Sources Come in the form of popular
  magazines, newspapers, or other periodicals.

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Popular Sources

• Authors
• Staff or freelance writers
• Not subject experts
• May or may not receive credit.
• Appearance
• Visually appealing.
• Paid advertising, photographs, color.
• Shorter articles.
• No bibliographies or bibliographic references.

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Popular Sources, cont.

• Content
• Might report on new research, but as a news item,
  feature story, opinion or editorial piece.
• Audience
• General public.
• Examples
• Newsweek, Time, The Economist, National
  Geographic, and Psychology Today.

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Trade Sources

• Authors
• Staff or freelance writers
• May or may not be subject expert
• Appearance
• Visually appealing
• Paid advertising, many photographs and color.
• Content
• Reports on problems or issues of a particular
  industry.
• Might contain industry terms or specialized
  vocabulary.

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Trade Sources, cont.

• Audience
• People in that particular trade or industry.
• Examples
• Billboard, Variety, American Libraries, and
  Computer Week.

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Scholarly Sources

• Authors
• Subject experts.
• Receive credit.
• Credentials will be listed.
• Appearance
• Little or no advertising.
• Lack color and glossy photographs.
• Likely to have graphs, tables and charts.
• Articles are lengthy with full bibliographies and
  references.

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Scholarly Sources, cont.

• Content
• Includes reports on original research and
  theories.
• Might include an abstract.
• Gone through a peer-review or referee process.
• Contains specialized vocabulary of the
  discipline.
• Audience
• Scholars, researchers, students.
• Examples
• Journal of American History, Science, Journal of
  Accounting and Public Policy, and Lancet.

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What does peer-reviewed mean?

• Scholarly publications go through a peer-review
  or referee process.
• In this process, subject experts review the
  article to see if it is suitable for publication
  in a scholarly journal.

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How can I check to see if a publication is
peer-reviewed?

• Many journals will have information about
  peer-review in the print copy of the journal or
  on their website.
• You can also check to see if the journal is
  listed as refereed in Ulrichs Periodicals
  Directory.
• Many databases such as Science Direct and JSTOR
  only have these sorts of peer-reviewed, scholarly
  articles.

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Is there a place I can easily find scholarly
articles?

• Both Expanded Academic ASAP and ProQuest
  databases allow you to limit your search results
  to scholarly, peer-reviewed articles. Just click
  the appropriate box.
• These databases are located at library.gmu.edu
  under the link Databases

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Expanded Academic
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ProQuest
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You are Responsible

• When you select the option to limit your search
  to peer-reviewed, scholarly sources, you still
  have the responsibility to ensure that
  information is truly scholarly.
• Dont just assume verify!

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Remember

• Many faculty use the terms peer-reviewed,
  refereed, and scholarly interchangeably.
• Dont be confused use the information in your
  class handout to assist you in deciding what
  sources will be best to included in your papers.
• If you have questions, you can always find a
  librarian

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Librarians are available

• In person, at any of the four George Mason
  University Libraries
• Via E-mail at the Help with Research link on the
  library homepage
• Via phone the numbers are available at the Help
  with Research page, under Contact Us
• Or the Ask-A-Librarian, the virtual reference
  service, available on the homepage as well.

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And

• Here at library.gmu.edu under Help with Research