Help! I Need 5 Scholarly Sources  

Do you have an assignment that requires you to find reliable, scholarly information?  This guide will tell you how to identify a scholarly journal article, how to distinguish between scholarly and popular, and will also provide links to reliable resources.

What is a scholarly journal and how is it different from a magazine or newspaper? All three are called periodicals because they are published at periodic intervals throughout the year.

• Newspapers are usually published daily and are a great source of local information, editorials, and opinions. Most newspapers now have web sites. Examples of newspapers are the Wall Street Journal and New York Times.
• Magazines are good sources of information or opinions about popular culture or up-to-date information on current events. Popular magazines typically have colorful covers and lots of advertisements. Examples are Newsweek, Sports Illustrated and U.S. News & World Report. Articles are not usually written by experts in the field.
• Scholarly or peer-reviewed journals have collections of articles written by experts in academic or professional fields. Journals are excellent for finding out what has been studied or researched on a topic, and to find bibliographies that point to other relevant sources of information. Examples are: Journal of Psychology, Journal of Consumer Marketing, Lancet and Nursing Ethics. The word "journal" is not necessarily in the title of a scholarly publication.

Darylyne Provost from the University of Maine Library has constructed a useful table with characteristics that illustrate the differences between scholarly journals, popular magazines and trade publications.

Watch the videos below to learn how to differentiate between a popular magazine and a scholarly journal.

This short video from Vanderbilt University illustrates how to recognize a scholarly article and how to find them in the library.

This is a great video on how to identify scholarly articles (from the Cornell University Library).

You are not alone! There are several ways to contact a librarian for help:

We're here to help you!

Thank you to Pierce College Library for supplying a great template to use for this library guide.