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J. Robert Van Pelt and John and Ruanne Opie Library

ENG1101 Resource Portal

Elements of a Scholarly Article

When evaluating a source, it can be helpful to have an understanding of the components of that source. Knowing which components you'll see on a particular type of document can provide clues about the source you are seeing. Take a look at the first page of an article below, and roll over (or click) the red dots to see the labels on each part. This is a very typical scholarly article.

How to Read a Scholarly Article

Quick tips from the University of Illinois' Undergrad Library. This video provides great suggestions for reading the abstract and other parts of an article to determine if it fits your needs!

Evaluating Credibility

There are many factors to consider when evaluating the credibility of a source. It can help to think laterally. Consider:

  • Where else can I confirm the information from this source?
  • Is that source I'm using for confirmation connected to the original source?
  • Do other credible sources cite this information?
  • How was the info in this source checked before publication?
Take a look at this Web Literacy for Student Fact Checkers ebook by Michael Caufield for a more in-depth exploration of these steps!

 

Peer Review

Many (but not all) academic articles are peer reviewed prior to publication. This process looks a bit different in each field, but generally the peer review process follows these steps: 

  1. Researcher has completed their project
  2. Article (or an abstract/proposal) is submitted to a journal
  3. If the journal accepts, the researcher sends the full article when completed
  4. The journal sends it out to other experts in the field (often anonymized). Those experts make comments on the substance (methods, results, context, etc. -- not just editing for grammar!)
  5. The researcher makes the recommended changes before publication.

Evaluating Sources (video tutorial)

This interactive video tutorial explores different ways to evaluate a source (audio & cc available). The focus is on purpose, authority, and currency of a source.