Scholarly sources (also referred to as academic, peer-reviewed, or refereed sources) are written by experts in a particular field and serve to keep others in the field up to date on the most recent research, findings, and news. These resources will provide the most substantial information for your research and papers, and should be no older than 5-7 years.

Some examples of scholarly resources include journal articles, scholarly or academic books, and dissertations. The resources should include such things as references, bibliographies, citations, language of the discipline, and research or a review of another’s research. Examples of non-scholarly resources include newspaper articles, Wikipedia, and online website blogs.

In addition, primary sources include a research question, research methodology, a literature review, and a discussion of the results. Secondary sources can be used on a limited basis and can include comments on the research of another and/or reviews of the literature of other studies. Secondary resources may be useful in locating primary resources.

Learn more about peer-reviewed articles and how to find them.