Evaluating Information Resources

Scholarly Publications

Scholarly publications are journals or other publications that aim to advance knowledge, educate, and discuss topics in a field or subject area. Typically, articles from these publications provide in-depth, primary accounts of original research but they can also include articles that review products or discuss developments in the field. 

Here are some attributes of scholarly articles:

• Authors and Editors: Scholars, researchers, or subject specialists who did the research described in the article; articles are often evaluated by peer-reviewers or referees who are experts in the field. (All scholarly articles are not necessarily peer-reviewed!)
• Audience: Other experts and researchers in a field, professionals in a specific industry, academic faculty and researchers.
• Appearance and Format: Uses specialized terminology and jargon and often follows a format that includes an abstract, literature review, methodology and other sections.
• Citation: Bibliography and references are required.

Scholarly publications are different from trade and professional publications and popular publications.

Trade and Professional Publications

These are journals, magazines, and other publications like newsletters that provide practical industry information. Articles from these publications provide current news, trends, and products in a specific field or industry.

Here are some attributes of trade and professional publications:

• Authors and Editors: Written by industry professionals or journalists with industry expertise and evaluated by editorial staff who may be experts (not peer-reviewed) and often published by professional organizations.
• Audience: Professionals in a specific industry and interested non-specialists.
• Appearance and Format: Uses specialized terminology or jargon of the profession but not as technical or as long as scholarly publications.
• Citation: Brief bibliography may be included but is not required.

Popular Publications

Popular publications are magazines, newspapers, blogs, and other publications that entertain and inform readers. Articles from these publications may discuss someone else's research, include narrative or opinion, or present general information.

Here are some attributes of popular publications:

• Authors and Editors: Written by journalists or writers who are paid to write on subjects they may or may not have subject expertise in; evaluated by editorial staff, not experts in the field.
• Audience: General public and interested non-specialists.
• Appearance and Format: Uses language easily understandable to most readers; articles tend to be shorter; use appealing graphics and catchy language to entice readers.
• Citation: Bibliography or sources rarely included.

An empirical article contains research based on observation and experience as opposed to belief or theory. 

To identify whether you have an empirical article, look for any mention of a study or an observation, if a survey or questionnaire was administered, data collected, measurement or assessment used, or an interview conducted.

Scroll down to read about the components of an empirical article and the strategy for reading one.

Empirical studies generally follow this formula. To become a more efficient searcher and zero in on articles that will meet CRAAP standards, you may want to use the following shortcuts to reading these articles:

Read the Abstract first. When searching in OneSearch, click on the article title to open the full index record. Most index records provide the abstract and it can give you just enough information to let you know the basis of the article.

Read the Introduction then Discussion and Conclusion sections next. These will give you the main argument of the article and will help you determine relevance to your project. You can also get a glimpse of the findings of the research.

Read about the Methods next. This will give you a sense of how the research was done. If you are interested in a particular methodology, it will help to view the Methods.

Read the Results/Analysis next. If you commit to the article, this section will be helpful.

Final points to keep in mind:

• Know your research question or argument
• You don't have to read the entire article in order.
• Read critically.
• Read the references section.
• Take notes.

Materials classified as "peer-reviewed" have been subjected to a heightened level of scrutiny prior to publication. The purpose of peer review is to ensure accuracy, integrity, and credibility on the part of the author(s). This process generally involves an editor distributing an unpublished manuscript for evaluation and review by several scholars in a relevant field. This process is referred to as peer review because the scholars conducting the review are considered to be peers to the authors of the work.

An individual tasked with reviewing the work of a peer is likely to focus on particular elements of the work, such as methodology, literature reviews, results or findings, and conclusions. They will also look for evidence of bias or other flaws in the reasoning of the author(s). Upon evaluation, the reviewers will decide whether to accept the manuscript as written, request that revisions be made as a condition for publication, or decline to publish the manuscript.

Locate peer-reviewed articles in the Saybrook library databases using the filtering options in OneSearch and in the individual databases. Here are some examples of what the filters look like;