Picking the Best Resources
Now that you have (hopefully) found many resources on your topic, it is time to pick the best ones for your research paper/project.
This page will help you to focus on the types of sources (academic, scholarly, peer-reviewed, refereed) that instructors commonly require for research papers and projects.
Know Your Research Terms
Scholarly Resources: Each fact or opinion is documented (author provides a list of references with the title, author, and page number of the resource used).
Peer-reviewed Resources: Selected and approved by a panel of experts. This term usually refers to journal articles. Many online databases allow you to limit your searches to peer-reviewed/refereed articles.
Scholarly Journals
Ask the following questions to find whether an article is a quality scholarly resource:
Journal vs. Trade Publication / Magazine
What sort of publication is it? If you aren't sure how to tell, see the chart below:
| Scholarly Journals | Popular Journals | Trade Journals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Informs and reports on original research done by scholars and experts in the field. | Entertains and informs a general audience without providing in-depth analysis. | Reports on industry trends and new products or techniques useful to people in a trade or business. |
| Authors | Articles are written by subject specialists and experts in the field. | Articles are written by journalists, freelance writers, or an editorial staff. | Articles are written by specialists in a certain field or industry. |
| Audience | Intended for a limited audience - researchers, scholars, and experts. | Intended for a broad segment of the population, appealing to non-specialists. | Intended for practititioners in a particular profession, business, or industry. |
Author
- Is the author a recognized expert on the article's topic?
- Is the author affiliated with a college or university?
- Does the author have a master's or doctoral degree in a relevant discipline?
- Is the author giving a biased interpretation of the facts?
Article
- Is the article in a peer-reviewed journal?
TIP: EBSCO databases, including the EBSCO Greenfile, will show whether a journal is peer-reviewed. Simply go to the article's full citation page and click on the journal's name. Peer-reviewed status will be indicated with a yellow badge and checkmark (see example below).
- Does the article have a list of references / bibliography?
- How long is the article? (Longer is usually better.)
- Does the article include primary research in the form of interviews, surveys, or data from a research study?
- Is the information accurate and current?
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