Adams State University
Nielsen Library

Nielsen Library Help Center: What is a scholarly resource?

What is a scholarly resource?

Many professors may require you to use scholarly articles or other resources in your research. But what does that mean, and how do you determine if a resource is considered scholarly?

Although there is no hard and fast rule, here are some guidelines:

Scholarly Resources:

  • List the author's name and degree or title
  • Address very specific topics
  • Present research findings
  • Have lengthy bibliographies
  • Use specialized or technical terminology
  • Are written for students or other researchers
  • Usually include abstracts, or summaries
  • Are published in scholarly journals or by a scholarly press.

Library databases can help you identify scholarly resources. For example you can preform a general library search and limit results by Academic (Peer-Reviewed) Articles

Example of a scholarly article.

Example of a scholarly book.

Want to ask us if a resources is scholarly? Contact us!

Need someone to check over your paper? Visit the Writing Studio in McDaniel Hall 220.

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