Scholarly, peer-reviewed articles will have most of the characteristics listed below. Ask yourself these questions and look at the article to check if if the way it looks and is written indicates it is a reliable, accurate source:
| 1. Is it written by a scholar? |
Look for clues that indicate the author(s) is a scholar/researcher:
- Do the author(s) have advanced degrees and/or credentials, like Ph.D. or M.D.?
- Does the author(s) have an affiliation or association? For example, do they work at a university, hospital, or similar knowledge-based organization?
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| 2. What is it about? Who's the intended audience? |
Check if the purpose of the article is to provide original research that further our understanding about a topic:
- Is the scope and topic narrowly defined with a theoretical and/or technical focus (scholarly), centered on professional practice (trade), or broad and general (popular)?
- Is the content research-based and analytical with the aim of creating new knowledge? Or is the intention to merely persuade, entertain, inform, or report?
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| 3. How is it structured? |
Look at the length, formatting, and headings/sections inside the article:
- Does it have a clear structure that indicates a scientific research study? For example, an abstract followed by headings/sections indicating the study's purpose, design, results and discussion of findings?
- Is it lengthy (more than 5 pages)?
- In general, the less structured it is the more it is likely NOT a scholarly source.
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| 4. How is it written? |
Review the language, tone, and point of view of the article:
- Is the language formal and technical (indicating a scholarly, peer-reviewed source), professional jargon (indicating a trade source), or plain and simple (indicating popular source)?
- Would the general public be able to understand the article, or does it require a higher level of education and knowledge?
- A scholarly, peer-reviewed article will have an objective point of view and logical, argumentative tone with many citations to published research that support its claims.
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| 5. What's the publication type? |
Look for clues that tell you the article is published inside of an academic/scholarly journal:
- Go to the website or description and read the "About" or "Aims and Scope" sections. Is the primary purpose to publish new knowledge and original research (scholarly), provide news and information relevant to professional practice (trade), or entertain, persuade, and inform (popular)?
- Is the visual appearance of the website plain, with minimal advertising and colour? Or is it colourful and flashy with a lot of graphics and advertisements?
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For more information on academic articles, click here.
