If an article undergoes the peer-review process, you know that it was written by an expert in the field and that other experts in that field vetted the article for originality, accuracy, and proper research methods. In the academic field, peer-reviewed articles are considered to be the most authoritative sources of information.
Many databases allow you to limit your search to only peer-reviewed resources. If that isn't an option, you can check whether a journal undergoes this process by looking at its submission policies.
It's important to differentiate between peer-reviewed articles, which are scholarly, and popular articles, which are not. To support research at the college level, students should utilize scholarly resources. If necessary, popular resources can be used to complement your research, but should not make up the bulk of your evidentiary support.
| |
Scholarly Resources |
Popular Resources |
| Author |
Experts or scholars in an academic field |
Journalists or bloggers or writers |
| Purpose |
Convey research results and produce new knowledge of a subject |
Entertain, summarize, and/or convey news |
| Audience |
Scholars in their field |
General public |
| Evidence |
Contains a list of references |
Lack of a reference list |
| Language |
Jargon related to the field, which may be confusing to the average person |
Simple |
| Assumed Knowledge? |
Yes, the reader should have some knowledge of the topic |
No, the reader doesn't need previous knowledge of the topic |