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Course & Subject Guides

Justice Scholars Institute

This guide serves as a resource for students participating in the Justice Scholars Institute at the University of Pittsburgh School of Education.

What makes information "scholarly" ?

Instructors often ask students to find “scholarly”, “academic”, or “peer reviewed” sources of information for their research.  These terms all refer to the same type of information – sources based on in-depth research and are considered higher in quality and more reliable for your research. 

These sources can range from chapters within books or entire books, or journal articles, but all have common characteristics that can help you recognize that type of information.  When you are searching online, you may not have magazine covers or advertising to help you identify a scholarly publication.  You may have to review an article and look for the characteristics of scholarly information to decide if that article is of scholarly quality.  

 

To identify scholarly information, look for the following characteristics: 

Scholarly Sources

  • Produced by experts or researchers in a specialized field or discipline.
  • Purpose is to present new or unpublished research.
  • Articles are written by a scholar in the field about which they are writing.
  • Articles reviewed by experts for scholarly content or quality, or peer reviewed
  • Follow a standard format: abstract, literature review, methodology, results, conclusion, and references.
  • Information sources cited using in-text citation, footnotes, endnotes, and a works cited list or bibliography.
  • May include tables, graphs or illustrations to support research.
  • Written for a research-oriented audience: professors, students or researchers.
  • Have a plain appearance and titles may include words like "Journal," "Transactions," or "Quarterly”.
  • Very little advertising.

General Purpose Sources

  • Designed for a broad segment of the population.
  • Articles written in informal tone and often unsigned.
  • General editors of the magazine review articles.
  • Designed to attract a broad segment of the population, and usually read for entertainment or to keep up with current events.
  • May have a bright cover with glossy pictures.
  • Lots of advertising

Trade or Professional Sources

  • Provides information of use to a particular industry.
  • Articles are not peer reviewed.
  • May have a bright cover.
  • No specific format.
  • Articles sometimes unsigned.
  • Advertising is used to appeal to those in a specific profession or field.

Types of Articles

Although it is not always appropriate to use scholarly articles, they are considered to be the gold standard for quality.

What is a scholarly article?

Often referred to as "peer-reviewed" or "academic," scholarly articles are concerned with academic study, especially research, exhibiting methods and attitudes of a scholar.

What are the general characteristics of scholarly articles?

  • a professional, serious look
  • often contain graphs and/or charts
  • always cite their sources in the form of footnotes, endnotes, or a bibliography
  • articles are written by a scholar in the field about which they are writing
  • assumes some scholarly background on the part of the reader (can be more difficult to read than other article types)
  • main purpose is to report on original research or experimentation

What are general purpose articles?

These are articles written for the general public in newspapers and magazines or on news websites. More substantive publications in this area include The Economist, U.S. News and World Report, National Geographic, and Scientific American. 

What are the characteristics of a general purpose publication?

  • Designed for a broad segment of the population
  • Articles written by a journalist or freelance writer for the general public
  • Usually read for information, entertainment or to keep up with current events
  • Print edition may have a bright cover with glossy pictures
  • Lots of advertising

What are trade publications?

Trade publications are generally focused on a specific field but are not intended to be "scholarly."  Rather, they communicate news and trends of interest to those working in that field.

What are the characteristics of trade or professional publications?

  • Provides information of use to a particular industry, often using the industry's language or jargon
  • Articles are not peer reviewed
  • No specific format
  • Articles are sometimes unsigned; may be written by practitioners in the field
  • Advertising is used to appeal to those in the field

Parts of a Scholarly Article