Research Basics: Finding Scholarly Journal Articles

• A scholarly (or academic) article is a formal piece of writing presenting research or analysis by an expert in a particular field of study.  

  • Scholarly articles are published in online or print journals
  • Journals publish scholarly research on a regularly scheduled - or periodical - basis.  
  • Scholarly articles are often peer-reviewed.  

A source provides information and can be in any format - book, article, webpage, video, etc. 

Follow these links to determine if an article is a scholarly or popular source.  

A peer-reviewed article is:

• A scholarly article written by experts in a particular field of study  
• Read and critiqued by other experts before publication in a scholarly journal
• An article containing research checked for accuracy and validity before publication  
• Not published if the peer-reviewers do not accept the research methodology or the findings

Using peer-reviewed research is essential to understanding the most valid research in a field of study.