Scholarly sources (also called academic, peer-reviewed, or refereed) are written by people who are experts in their field and have had their work reviewed by a board of colleagues within their field.

You can tell if a source is scholarly by looking at the author’s information and credentials. Also, be sure to look at the publisher and check if it is an academic institution, scholarly, or professional organization. Make sure to determine whether the language is specialized or geared to a more general public. Lastly, check out the source’s citations and see if other people have referenced the work you are looking at. The article should have evidence to support its claims.

For more information on scholarly sources be sure to check out our library guide.