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Subject Guide: Communication: Defining Scholarly Sources

Resources and tools for students of Communication Studies

Defining Scholarly Sources

Scholarly sources are written by experts on that topic and are typically academic books or articles published in peer-reviewed journals.

Someone is considered an expert if they have credentials in that field of knowledge.  Credentials include:

  • An advanced education/degree, such as a Masters or Doctorates (PhD), in the subject area of that field.
  • Work experience in that field, such as a professor at a university teaching that subject, a researcher working for an organization or a government agency in that field, or any career where they work with that subject knowledge every day and would be an expert on it.
  • Being an author of additional publications (books or articles in journals) related to your topic or that field of knowledge.

Peer-reviewed journals have a review process where articles are evaluated by other experts in the field (peers--also called referees) for accuracy, credibility, and adding new information to the field of knowledge BEFORE being accepted by the editor and published in the journal.

Popular vs Scholarly Video

Using Scholarly/Academic Sources

Books by Laura Luiz

Anatomy of a Scholarly Article

Click on the icon below to watch a short video on the "Anatomy of a Scholarly Article" (from North Carolina State University). 

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Or you can use this quick interactive site to review the "Anatomy of a Scholarly Article" (from North Carolina State University). Directions: click on the link to activate the interactive site. 

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What Does Peer Review Mean?

Your professor has likely required you use peer-reviewed, or scholarly, or academic journal articles for your research.  But what does it mean to be peer-reviewed, and why is it so important?  Watch the videos below to find out.

What Is a Scholarly Article?

You know that scholarly articles have been peer-reviewed, but how do you know whether an article is considered scholarly?  What does a scholarly article look like?  What are the parts of a scholarly article?  How should you read a scholarly article to determine whether it is relevant to your research? Watch the videos below to find out.