Scholarly Sources | Examples & Explanation
A scholarly source is an article, webpage, or book written by an expert in the field of study. They use the most up-to-date research available and support their claims with evidence.
Anyone conducting research should aim to use scholarly sources in their work and should follow the best practices of scholarly writing. This involves:
- Identifying the different types of sources
- Locating sources for your research
- Making judgments about the credibility and relevance of sources
- Using the sources in your text and citing them properly
What are scholarly sources?
The purpose of a scholarly source is to increase human knowledge in a specific area of study.
They have a variety of functions, some of which are:
- Publicizing original research
- Summarizing the trends in current research
- Adding to the knowledge base of an area of academic study
Scholarly sources are written for experts in their field, and they make use of technical and formal language.
Scholarly sources should:
- Educate or inform (or both)
- Use evidence to support their arguments and conclusions
- Have clearly-identified authors and indicate their academic qualifications
On the other hand, they should not:
- Suffer from spelling or grammatical errors
- Have a biased point of view
- Make use of appeals to emotion
There will be a clear structure and research method in scholarly sources. Very often there will be a literature review, and they will always carefully cite their sources when referencing other work.
You will find scholarly books published by a university press or a specialized publisher of academic works.
Scholarly articles are usually longer than popular articles in other publications. You will find them in specialist journals that focus on a particular discipline, and it is common for them to be peer-reviewed.
Scholarly source examples
One feature of academic writing is the broad range of sources that are used. Sometimes, different stages of research will lead to different types of sources.
The most common sources in academic writing include:
- Scholarly books
- Academic journals
- Newspapers (and their websites)
- Websites
- Encyclopedias
All of these will fall into one of three categories, depending on your research approach and topic. Those categories are:
- Primary sources, which are a source of direct evidence for your research topic (e.g., historical records)
- Secondary sources, which provide an interpretation of or comment on the primary sources (e.g., an academic analysis of the primary source)
- Tertiary sources, which bring together primary and secondary sources and don’t bring their own insights to the topic (e.g., bibliographies, encyclopedias)
Primary and secondary sources are cited in academic writing, but that isn’t the case with tertiary sources. They can provide insights into the topic and ideas for places to explore but are not typically cited in the final product.
Individual academic institutions have expectations about the types of sources you should use, so it’s important to check the requirements for your research.
Finding scholarly sources
The type of research you are engaged in will determine where you should look for sources. There are some obvious places to start your search. These include:
- Research databases: There is a bewildering number of databases, but a good place to start is with Google Scholar. There are also specialized academic databases, and your institution library might well have access to these that you can use (e.g., cochrane.org).
- The library: Your institution’s library likely holds journals and books that are relevant, as well as abstracts and indices (which bring together short summaries of journal articles).
Searching academic databases is a skill in itself, and you can use techniques such as Boolean operators to refine your search. This helps you to exclude or include keywords that are relevant to your research intent.
Evaluating sources
Finding sources to use in your research is only the start. You need to develop the information literacy skill of evaluating your sources. This will help you to evaluate whether the sources are credible, scholarly, and pertinent to your topic and if they are well written and well argued.
You should learn how to:
- Evaluate the relevance of a source by assessing to what degree the author has addressed key issues in the research field. Consider if they have covered the main debates, trends in research, important publications, and scholars.
- Evaluate the source’s credibility by applying the CRAAP test or reading around the subject (lateral reading). By addressing these areas, you will be able to determine the accuracy, purpose, relevance, authority, and currency of the source.
- Evaluate the arguments used. Look at the source’s claims and the evidence used to back them up, and ask yourself if they stack up.
A key skill when evaluating sources is that of critical thinking. This applies to examining not just the sources but also your own preconceptions and biases.
Citing and integrating scholarly sources
There are various ways of integrating the data and research you find into your writing. Using signal phrases is one technique, and you can then integrate the research by:
- Quotation: This is the most direct and obvious way, using exactly the same words used in the original source. Each citation style guide (e.g., APA, Harvard) has specific requirements on how to present direct quotations. Typically, quotation marks are used for shorter quotes, and longer quotes are formatted as a block quote. Direct quotation is ideal if you are analyzing the language of the original quote, or if it is the clearest way of conveying the original meaning.
- Paraphrase: A paraphrase communicates the original meaning of a text in your own words. It mustn’t alter the meaning in any way. A paraphrase can offer a neater way of communicating the original meaning, and it shows your understanding of the source.
- Summary: You can express the main points of a piece of research in your own words. A summary is considerably shorter than the original and should not use quotations but your own words.
Whichever method you use, it is essential that you cite your sources accurately and completely. It is the only way to ensure that the original author is properly credited. Failure to cite fully is seen as plagiarism and can have serious consequences.
There are many citation styles, the most common being APA, MLA, and Chicago. They are very detailed in their requirements and should be followed carefully. Your institution might require a specific style, or it might only insist that you remain consistent to the style you choose. It is up to you to find out what the requirements are at your institution.
QuillBot’s free Citation Generator can help you quickly and easily create accurate citations. You simply enter the source’s DOI, URL, or title, and the citations are generated automatically. Additionally, our online Plagiarism Checker can detect accidental plagiarism.
Frequently asked questions about scholarly sources
- What are the main types of sources cited by academic researchers?
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Academic researchers use a range of credible sources in their works. They will typically cite only their primary and secondary sources. The main types of sources are:
- Books
- Academic journals
- Websites
- Encyclopedias
- Newspapers
Your research process is likely to include many of these types of scholarly sources, although the sources used will vary according to the goals and topic of your research.
- Is there a difference between scholarly and popular sources?
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Scholarly sources are written by experts in the field of study using technical or academic language. Very often they are peer-reviewed before publication, and they will always have a full bibliography. They are usually considered to be credible sources.
Popular sources are written for a more general audience. They are most likely to be written by journalists and may not have a bibliography. Their language is generally less formal, and they might be written from a biased point of view. This means that these types of sources are not always reliable, but can still be used and cited if appropriate to your research.
- What makes a source credible?
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Sources can be vetted using the CRAAP test as well as checked for the following points to ensure credibility:
- Updated information
- Trustworthy publisher and author with relevant credentials for the topic
- Cited materials should be able to be consulted and unbiased
- Online sources should have a trustworthy URL and layout
Quillbot’s Citation Generator tool can help you to create and manage your citations throughout the research process. Additionally, you can use our Notepad tool to take online notes and keep track of relevant source information.
- Where can I find scholarly sources?
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Knowing how to find the credible sources you need is important when conducting research.
- Check with the library at your institution to see what journals, books, research databases, and other types of sources they can give you access to.
- Search for publications from respected academic publishers and university presses, as these have a reputation for being trustworthy scholarly sources.
- Search for journals that use a peer review process. They are more credible as experts have reviewed the research before publication.
- How do I search research databases efficiently?
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Make sure you have a clear idea of the parameters of your research and the key terms you want to search. Then choose a database that is relevant to your research (e.g., Cochrane, JSTOR, Medline).
Use specific keywords and their variations and synonyms when searching for scholarly sources.
Some databases have a “subject search” option, which can be useful. Become familiar with Boolean operators to efficiently combine keywords, search for exact phrases, and exclude specific terms.