Determine if a source is scholarly or popular

Not sure if a book or online article is scholarly? Examine the source and ask yourself the following questions. Answers will be found in the item itself and in introductory pages, table of contents, bibliographies, etc.

• What kind of work is it: book? chapter? journal article? magazine article? webpage?
  • Books published by University publishers, book chapters, and journal articles are more likely to be scholarly. Magazines written for a general audience, webpages, blogs, etc., are generally considered popular, not scholarly.
• Who is the intended audience: scholars? general public? industry professionals? political groups? etc.
  • If the audience college students, grad students, faculty and other scholars, then it is more likely to be a scholarly source. Sources written for the general public, such as newspaper articles, wikipedia articles, and social media posts, are popular, not scholarly.
• Who is/are the author(s)? What are their qualifications?
  • Authors who are experts in their field, professors at colleges and universities, or people who hold advanced degrees in their subject generally tend to write scholarly sources.
• Who is the publisher or sponsor?
  • Sources published by University presses (such as Oxford University Press, Duke University Press, etc) or published by academic publishers tend to be scholarly.
• Does the work include significant appendices, statistics, data, images, web links, etc.?
  • Scholarly sources usually include significant footnotes, statistics, and data. 
• Is the research/writing well documented?
  • Scholarly sources always include bibliographies and carefully cite their sources. 

Think critically about what the source is trying to say and how it supports your arguments

Answering the following questions requires critical thinking on your part. While you read through the work, contemplate these questions: 

• What was the author's purpose in researching or presenting this material?
• What conclusions are drawn? Issues raised? Are the conclusions/issues adequately substantiated?
• Can you detect any biases or fallacies in the arguments or conclusions?
• Is anything lacking? Do you still have questions about the material?
• How effectively is the information presented? Well written or not? Well organized or not? Good supporting material, such as graphics?
• How does this information source compare with others you have read on the topic?
• How useful was this work to you in your research? What role did it play?

(Some material adapted from the UC Santa Cruz Library website, http://library.ucsc.edu)