LibGuides: Introduction to Scholarly Research: Evaluating Sources

What About Books?

Books are long and have the space to delve deeply into a topic. They are excellent sources of background information. Scholarly books also have bibliographies that can lead you to additional sources. Books are usually edited, which helps to improve their quality. Books do take a long time to write and publish, so they aren't the best source for very up-to-date information.

What About Websites?

Websites, and the search engines that help us find them like Google and Bing, are great sources for information about current events and things that are happening right now. Websites are easily accessible and there are lots of them, so it is easy to find different points of view. Remember that very few websites are edited and it is very important to carefully verify the credibility of the site and the accuracy of the information. See the Evaluating Internet Sources guide for more.

Evaluating Internet Sources
by Amanda Pippitt Last Updated Apr 21, 2025 36 views this year

Quick Tips for Evaluating Periodicals

Use these criteria to help you determine the type of periodical that you are using. Remember to look carefully at each of the listed criteria, and do not base your decision on only one or two categories. Some characteristics overlap between types of publications, and you may need to prioritize according to importance or prominence.

*Periodical Type*	Scholarly Journals also known as Academic, Peer-Reviewed, or Refereed	Professional and Trade Periodicals	Popular & Special Interest Magazines	Newspapers
CRITERIA
PURPOSE	To inform, report, or make available original research. In-depth analysis of issues related to the discipline. Includes information on conferences.	Discusses current trends, news & products in a specific field. Includes employment & career information.	Designed to inform, entertain, or persuade. Short articles deal with news, current events, or hot topics.	Quickly updated. Designed to inform, entertain, or explain. Short articles deal with news, current events, or hot topics.
FORMAT	Lengthy articles with abstracts, methods, results, conclusions, and bibliography. May be published quarterly.	Articles medium in length. May include statistics and forecasts. Often published monthly.	Articles usually fairly short. Published monthly or weekly.	Articles usually fairly short. New articles may build on previous articles. Published daily or weekly.
AUTHORS	Scholars, professors, or researchers in the field, discipline, or specialty.	May be written by staff, a scholar, professional in the field, or a free-lance writer who has subject expertise.	Written by the publication's staff or free-lance writers.	May be written by the publication's staff, newswires, free-lance writers, or syndicated columns.
LANGUAGE/ AUDIENCE	Use terminology/jargon of the discipline. Reader is assumed to have a scholarly background. Written by experts for experts.	Language appropriate for an educated readership and assumes a certain level of specialized knowledge. Written for practitioners.	Uses simple language in order to meet minimum education level. Written for a general audience.	Uses simple language in order to meet minimum education level. Written for a general audience.
GRAPHICS	Graphics and charts to illustrate articles, but seldom glossy pages, pictures, or advertisements.	Includes photographs, illustrations, charts, and tables to enhance the publication. Sometimes glossy advertisements.	Photographs, illustrations, drawings, charts, and many glossy advertisements.	Photographs, illustrations, drawings, and charts. News divided into different sections as dictated by the editors. Printed on inexpensive paper, with many advertisements.
SOURCES	Sources cited with footnotes and bibliographies.	Occasionally cite sources. Sources sometimes cited in the text.	Rarely cites any sources. Original sources can be obscure.	Occasionally cite sources, although many sources are interviews. Original sources can be obscure.