How to Know if an Article Was Review by Experts

Tips to identify whether a source is scholarly and reliable

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It is of import to find apparent sources of information while researching for articles and other scholarly material to write an essay, a research paper, or any other academic task.

Ordinarily, the resources are collated and compiled from a variety of sources such every bit newspapers, books, periodicals (journals and magazines) and websites. Some of these resources are considered popular sources whereas the others are considered scholarly sources.

When conducting literature search, practise you feel uncertain about a source'due south authenticity and credibility? In this article, nosotros focus on identifying 'scholarly' sources for obtaining reliable information to be presented for academic work such as course assignments, dissertation, or thesis writing.

Tips for referring to popular sources

Newspapers and magazines are considered as 'popular' sources. They cater to a broad audience and take articles that are written past professional writers (for example, a journalist who might not be an skilful in the field) in a more than general way using common/popular language; these do not follow whatever specific format and rarely accept references or endnotes.

Books and journals, on the other manus, are considered 'scholarly' publications which are intended for specialist readership of researchers, academics, students, and professionals. They publish in-depth articles and reviews on specific topics written past specialists and researchers in subject field area who utilise technical, bailiwick-specific jargon. Apart from having a standard format, these publications are always accompanied by tables/figures and previously published articles as references.

Although pop sources are not without merit and may besides incorporate well-considered writing, the purpose of distinguishing between these types of works is to decide their degree of authority and depth of inquiry on a given topic, and thereby their intrinsic bookish value. If the project at hand allows information technology, y'all could depend on reliable popular sources.

Tips for referring to scholarly sources

Scholarly sources are also referred to as academic, peer-reviewed, or refereed sources. These are the sources researchers rely on. So let us discuss the three categories to which such scholarly sources belong - journals, books, and online resources.

ane. Journals

An article published in a periodical will have the post-obit characteristics:

Authors: Names of the authors with their academic credentials, institutional affiliation, address, and due east-mail addresses are provided alongside every publication. Brand sure that the writer(s) and/or corresponding author(s) are experts in the field, are affiliated to an unbiased reputable organization or credible bookish establishment/university, have had previous publications in peer-reviewed journals or books for which references can be plant.

Publishers: Publishers are usually academic publishing houses, universities, research organisations, professional bodies, or other recognised authorities producing research.

Basic information, such equally the names of the editorial lath members and the Editor-in-Main, is mentioned on the journal'south website. You will too observe information about the guidelines followed by the journal; for example, Committee On Publication Ethics (COPE) or International Committee of Medical Periodical Editors (ICMJE). Examples of some well-known publishers include Springer, Elsevier, Taylor & Francis, Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, SAGE Publishing, Macmillan, American Association for the Advancement of Scientific discipline, Nature Publishing , etc.

Hither are sure things you must look at when ascertaining the credibility of a journal:

• Brand sure that the contact details and 'about' information is provided. Sometimes, the periodical might be associated with institutions or societies. Await them up on the net to get more information. Wait out for the type of peer review the periodical offers, and if all the details about their policies, licenses, and copyright terms are mentioned.
• Ensure that the data on the periodical website has been recently updated and the links provided are up to appointment and working. E'er bank check whether the journal website is part of a commercial organisation, a political party, or an arrangement with a specific agenda, which might effect in the information on the website being biased.
• Author guidelines: The types of articles published by the journal and the guidelines to prepare the manuscript, artwork, and supplementary materials should be clearly indicated on the periodical website.
• Journal metrics: Some journals offer information on their influence such as Eigenfactor, SCImago rankings, CiteScore, Source Normalized Bear upon per newspaper (SNIP), etc.
• Abstracting/Indexing: Always ensure that the journal in which the article is published is indexed and abstracted in reputed databases like Clarivate Analytics,  MEDLINE/PubMed, Scopus, EBSCO, PsycINFO, IEEE Explore, SciELO, CiteSeer 10 , etc.

Content: The content of the commodity is targeted towards a specific audience in that field of study. The article generally follows a format or structure including abstract, keywords, introduction, methodology, results, word, determination, bibliography. The length of the article may vary depending upwardly on the periodical guidelines. Extensive reference to past research is a key characteristic of bookish works. References are cited both in-text and recorded in footnotes or in a reference listing at the end of the article; recent relevant references of the past 3-5 years is a expert indicator of a scholarly article. Scholarly articles usually contain illustrations in the class of graphs, charts, and tables to depict the results of the research piece of work.

The content should be non-biased and provide a very objective review or study on a item topic stating both strengths and limitations of the study. Articles with numerous typographical mistakes, grammatical errors, or other inaccuracies are non reliable. Search for the citations of the commodity on library databases or on Google Scholar.

2. Books

Books have been a source of data from fourth dimension immemorial. The following points should be borne in mind while scouring books for scholarly content:

Authors: Always check the credibility of the author by verifying the biography details. Ensure that the author is an expert in the field of report, confirm the author'southward institutional amalgamation, other publications of the author, and bank check if the publisher stands to do good from the enquiry or statement presented in the book.

Publisher: Books published by university presses, professional person or trade associations, authorities offices, institutes, enquiry centres, and reputable commercial publishers are usually trustworthy and have scholarly content. Searching for volume reviews online, which can provide clues as to whether a source is scholarly and highlight the intended audience, tin can be useful. Visit the publisher'southward website and find out more than information about the publisher to ensure that it is non a vanity press.

Content: Checking for the following aspects tin can give a fair idea as to the authenticity and relevance of the book for scholarly data:

• Does the title of the book indicating its specificity of the topic?
• Multiple editions indicate the volume is well-regarded enough to accept been through revisions, and has been updated.
• Scrutinizing the preface and introduction of the book helps in assessing the author's perspective and the presence of any biases in the book.
• Scanning the table of contents, abbreviations, and index is helpful to know what facets of the subject area/topic the book covers.
• Browsing the publication dates of references and/or a bibliography tin assist in assessing the reliability and accuracy of the data given in the volume.

3. Websites : Online search is the almost popular and convenient style to find information. Even so, caution should exist exercised while procuring data from any website. Hither are some tips:

Actuality: URLs or website addresses can reveal the following information:

• Government sites use .gov and .mil domains. Educational sites utilize the .edu domain. And non-profit organizations apply .org whereas business sites apply .com. Generally, .gov and .edu sites are considered more trustworthy than .org and .com sites.
• Browse the web page for a proper name, email accost, or the "About Us" or Contact Us" page to decide who created the site. Using search engines will assistance you in obtaining biographical data about the publisher of the website.
• Usually, symbols similar ~ and %, or words like 'staff' and 'students' are often used to signify a personal website and are plant on the site URL. They might show upward in official areas, but might non be officially sponsored by that group since students and faculty are frequently granted their own private space on academy or school websites. Information on such websites often consists of personal opinions and might not be fully reliable.
• Searching for the history, the funding, and the focus of the organization supporting the website helps in ascertaining the actuality of the website.

Content: Surveying the content of the website can reveal a lot nearly the intent of the information presented:

• Cheque for the timeframe/timeline and geographical location that the topic addresses; check when was the website created and updated to ensure that the information presented is upwards-to-date.
• Scan the website for the types of links and citations that are nowadays on the website. Read the contents of the website carefully to make up one's mind that the data and facts added value to the topic and are non prejudiced, manipulative, or distorted.

Conclusion

Describing and discussing correct and error-gratis data is a vital part of whatsoever academic writing. We promise that the pointers given in this commodity will assist you lot in finding valid sources of scholarly textile. It is always a proficient idea to check with the librarian and library databases of the institution/academy for authentic scholarly sources. While the verification procedure may take a scrap of your time and try, being sure of the actuality of your sources will help you advance in your task with more than conviction.

Related reading:

• Gathering useful resources for future publication
• Tips for effective literature searching and keeping up with new publications

Published on: Jul 31, 2018

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Source: https://www.editage.com/insights/tips-to-identify-whether-a-source-is-scholarly-and-reliable

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