English: English 1: Scholarly Sources

Scholarly or peer-reviewed sources:

• are written for and reviewed by fellow academics or researchers in the field
• are excellent for finding out what has been studied or researched on a topic
• contain original research or in-depth study in the field
• provide extensive references leading to other relevant sources of information
• use the technical language of the field

Google Scholar searches broadly for scholarly research on the web. Many entries are just citations, but there is an increasing amount of full-text.

• Check to see if the publisher is a university or scholarly press.
• Check the author's credentials to see if they are a scholar or recognized expert.
• Are there references listed at the end of chapters or the end of the book?

Many of the library's subscription databases offer access to scholarly, peer-reviewed articles, as well as shortcuts to get to them.

• Academic Search Complete (Ebsco) - Check the "Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals" box. You can also search multiple databases from Ebsco at one time by clicking on the "Choose databases" link.
• JSTOR - Archives of academic journal articles across the humanities and social sciences.

To see all of the library's subscription databases, go to the A to Z list.

To access the databases off-campus, enter your Madison College ID and password when prompted.

By definition, an open access scholarly journal does not charge readers for access. The journal must exercise peer-review practices to be included.