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IDST 114: Science Fiction, the Environment, and Vulnerable Communities: Evaluating your sources
Scholarly and peer reviewed articles
Scholarly articles are published in scholarly journals and are sometimes called peer-reviewed articles. The articles are a means for a scholar to communicate with other scholars in the field about his or her research. They are often reviewed by peers in the field in order to ensure that the article is relevant and accurate.
What to look for:
- Articles written by an expert, always signed (author's name listed)
- Credentials of author listed, such as education and position
- References and sources consulted are listed
- Frequently includes graphs, charts
- Frequently have abstracts
- Aimed at people in the field or studying the field, few or no ads
Where to find scholarly resources and how to evaluate?
Evaluating articles:
Anatomy of a scholarly article
Library website
Online journals or E-journals on the library website
Evaluating books:
Published by University Presses or Academic Publishers
Evaluating web resources:
Look at 'about us' or mission statement.
Does it provoke strong emotions?
Example of a scholarly article
Peer review in three minutes
- Video: Peer Review in Three MinutesHow do articles get peer reviewed? What role does peer review play in scholarly research and publication? A video from NC State University Libraries