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SHB Sheboygan North High School: Finding academic information

Is it "scholarly?"

journals and magazines
 
CHARACTERISTICS OF "SCHOLARLY" ARTICLES:
  • Based on academic research.
  • Author(s) clearly identified with credentials.
  • Primarily of interest to others in same or similar field.
  • Usually follow format:  abstract, introduction, discussion and references.
  • Usually “peer-reviewed” articles, which means that the articles are evaluated by individuals in the same field with the same level of education. The purpose of peer-review is to maintain an academic standard of quality.
CHARACTERISTICS OF "POPULAR" ARTICLES:
  • Not based on academic research, but relies on secondary sources for information.
  • Author, if identified at all, is usually a journalist, rather than an expert in a particular field of study.
  • Primarily of general interest.
  • Do not follow any particular format.
  • Not peer-reviewed.

A tutorial

"Anatomy of a Scholarly Article" by Andreas Orphanides is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution - Noncommercial - Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Wikipedia is not scholarly...

Wikipedia, although good for background research, is not an authoritative source in academic writing.  We have all heard of the doubts cast on Wikipedia's accuracy and authority, but the real reason for not using Wikipedia citations is that, as an encyclopedia, it is not an appropriate source for scholarly writing.  The characteristics of an encyclopedia are much more like a "popular" article than a scholarly one.  For tips on the appropriate use of Wikipedia in research, check out the video below.

How to use Wikipedia in research

Subjects: Visiting Students