Scholarly?
Both general/popular and professional/scholarly resources can provide reliable information, but professional/scholarly resources are more authoritative.

Literature Appropriate for College-Level Research
Not all literature is appropriate for college-level research (and literature that  is okay in Freshman-level courses may not be acceptable for upper-level work.)  Books and anthologies (collections of articles or essays), periodical articles, papers presented at conferences, theses and dissertations, reference resources, and pages or documents on the Web all need to be evaluated not only for content but also for credibility. In general, the more reputable the author, the publication, and/or the publisher, the greater your assurance that the information is appropriate for college-level research.

Imagine a spectrum with “sensational” publications (tabloid newspapers like the National Enquirer, questionable magazines like Hustler, and “bodice-ripper” romances) on one end; popular general literature (Time & Newsweek; Gone with the Wind) in the middle; and trade, professional, and scholarly or learned publications (The Wall Street Journal; JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association; Milton’s Paradise Lost) on the other end.  (Look below to see a graphic using periodical titles to illustrate this idea.) 

Many professors require literature from, or nearest to, the scholarly end of this spectrum. 

General vs. Scholarly Resources
A layperson who is not interested in in-depth information may desire non-technical, perhaps even superficial, information; but the professional or scholar may require very carefully researched and well-documented professional or scholarly information.   For example, a non-specialist doing some leisure reading on “health and fitness” may find appropriate information in items in the second column of the table below, while the professional or scholar may need the authoritative materials in the third column. 

Primary and Secondary Sources

Professional/Scholarly Literature
Professional/scholarly information is more highly valued in academe because these resources are more likely to present an in-depth, comprehensive, and authoritative argument or investigation of a clearly-defined problem or topic.

Scholarly works (articles, papers, books) are judged by their contribution to the research and by the validity of the information they provide -- the thoroughness, attention to detail, and adherence to their research method.  Academic disciplines and professional researchers generally follow a research method that is appropriate to their field.  For instance, researchers in the sciences adhere to the "scientific method"   (question; review the literature to gather background information; hypothesize; experiment and observe; analyze, reflect, speculate; draw conclusions or theorize; report results; replicate.)  Research in the sciences is usually reported in articles written in a format, IMRD, that mirrors the research method:

• I:  articles begin with an introduction that describes the question, presents a review of the literature, and defines the working hypothesis. 
• M: the next section of the article describes method, methodology, and/or materials of the experiment and the process of observation or data-gathering techniques.
• R: the results report the data gathered.
• D: a discussion offers an analysis of the data.
• Some articles include a final section, the conclusion, that offers a more definitive statement of the implications, inferences, or deductions that can be made based on the information gathered. 

When a substantial number of works have been brought forward, a review that examines the data of the lot, may synthesize and summarize the findings.  From this review a theory, policy, or procedure may be suggested.  Evidence-based practice (or research-based practice) recommendations are made based on an examination and application of the data collected in these types of reviews. 

• almost always are written by a scholar, researcher, specialist, or practicing professional in the field encompassing the problem or topic.
• generally include extensive background information.
• usually reference previous work and have extensive bibliographies.
• if books or other published reports, are often but not always, reviewed in scholarly journals.

Professional/scholarly publications are brought forward via

• Professional and scholarly societies such as the American Chemical Society, IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), and NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English).
• University presses like Johns Hopkins, Ohio University’s Swallow Press, and Oxford University Press.
• Commercial publishers/imprints such as Elsevier Science, Basic Books, and Nature which specialize in professional and scholarly resources.

Peer Reviewed, Refereed, Juried?
The publication or presentation process for professional and scholarly information assures that the content is more likely to be authoritative, credible, accurate, and objective because books, articles, and presentation proposals are carefully scrutinized by  editors, program committees, and/or other knowledgeable individuals prior to publication or presentation. 

Journals (professional and scholarly periodicals) that require that articles be examined by other experts or scholars prior to publication are designated as “peer reviewed,”  “refereed,” “juried,” or “blind reviewed.”  Our library webpage, Types of Periodical Literature and Peer Reviewed Articles, shows how to use Ulrich's Periodicals Directory to determine if a periodical is a scholarly journal and if it is peer reviewed.  You may also download our Word document, "My Resource is Professional or Scholarly If..."   For more information about scholarly articles, see the Research Tutorial on Articles. 

On the Web?
Professional/scholarly information is being published on the Web, but much of that information is protected within members-only websites.  Utilizing a specialized search engine such as Google Scholar, PubMed, or National Science Digital Library may expedite the search process, but be aware that generally speaking these search engines do not index all of the resources covered by the library's subject-specific research databases and that you may have to pay for online documents that the library's catalogs and research databases provide for free.  The easiest way to locate FREE professional/scholarly books and articles on the Web is to use the library's subject-specific research databases and library catalogs.

Need Help? 

Get help via IM, Chat With a Librarian, email (Reference_Services@Shawnee.edu), or by phoning (740.351.3321).  

If you prefer face-to-face assistance, stop by the Clark Memorial Library Reference Counter or schedule a Research Consultation with a Reference Librarian.