Bibliography or Reference List: Scholarly articles include footnotes, endnotes, or parenthetical in-text citations referring to items in a bibliography or reference list.
Structure: The full text often begins with an abstract or summary containing the main points of the article. It may also be broken down into sections like "Methods" and "Results" and "Discussion"
Authors: Authors’ names are clearly listed with credentials/degrees or affiliations (often universities or research institutions). The authors are experts in the field.
Audience: The article uses vocabulary or specialized language intended for other scholars in the field, not for the average reader.
Graphics & Images: The graphics are more likely to include tables, graphs and charts that are as important as the article text. If the article has pictures of movie stars or new cars, it's not likely to be scholarly.
Length: Scholarly articles are often, but not always, longer than the popular articles found in magazines & newspapers. Articles are longer because it takes more content to explore topics in depth.
College students need reliable, authoritative information!
Consider these things before using a source:
•WHO created the source? An expert? An amateur?
•WHAT is its purpose? Entertainment, sell something, inform, persuade?
•WHEN was the source created? Is it too old to be relevant for your topic?
•WHERE does the information come from? Are sources cited in a proper format?
•WHY will you use the source? What value does it add to your paper/project?
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