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Consider the types of information you need for your assessment. These include scholarly or academic sources, peer-reviewed articles, and primary or secondary sources. Understand what they are and learn how to find them.
Scholarly resources are written by academics, researchers or other professionals with expert knowledge. Many of these resources, go through a rigorous verification process before publication. Peer reviewed journal articles and textbooks are good examples.
Resources written for the general public are non-scholarly. Examples include newspapers, magazines and websites.
View the table on Popular vs. Scholarly Sources from Writing Commons for more information.
Peer review is a process that aims to ensure the integrity and quality of published research. Articles published in peer reviewed journals are reviewed by other subject experts to check they are:
You can check if a journal is peer reviewed by using the Ulrichsweb Global Serials Directory. Remember to search for the journal name, not the article title.
A good place to start searching for scholarly resources is Primo Search. Here you can find books, eBooks and journal articles. Library databases are another excellent source to search for subject specific journal articles.
Our library research guides can help direct you to the best sources of information.
Primary sources provide a first-hand account of an event or time. These types of resources are mostly authoritative. Examples include research reports, government documents, case law, statistical data, diaries and letters.
Secondary sources involve analysis, synthesis, interpretation, or evaluation of primary sources. They often attempt to describe or explain primary sources. They can include books, journal articles, dissertations and reviews.
Journal articles often contain new research. They can be primary source of information on new developments.
Use the CRAP test checklist to assess if a book, article or website is a scholarly resource.
Check out our library guide on Evaluating websites, news and media for ways to assess the quality of other popular information sources.
Find the best library databases for your research.
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