Hi, I’m Dr. Cheryl Radeloff. And I’m Dr. Sarah Sifers. We’ve created this video on
academic sources because there is much information available and it can be difficult to
decide what information is appropriate to use in academic work. You can watch this
video in it entirety or use the table of contents to skip to a topic of your choice. Please use
the rewind or fast forward buttons as needed.
What is the difference between an academic source and a non-academic source?
Academic sources are written by unbiased experts and often peer-reviewed or referred
(that is, evaluated by other professionals for bias and expertise). For example, journals do
not have flashy graphics but are more somber in style. The articles tend to have long titles
that aren’t eye-catching. The articles include bibliographies and abstracts (brief summary
of the article) and authors tend to have degrees and institutional affiliations after their
names. Conference proceedings or posters are materials presented at professional
conferences and will indicate the name of that conference.
Conversely, non-academic sources may include bias or are written by amateurs or
professionals who are not experts on the topic being discussed. For example, magazines
tend to be flashy, have articles with provocative titles, no bibliography or abstract and
authors may or may not have degrees or affiliation after their names. Similarly,
newspapers tend to have controversial or provocative yet parsimonious titles and concise
writing. The difference between a journal and a magazine can be seen in this example.
What’s the difference between academic and non-academic books?
Academic books include textbooks, edited volumes, monographs, theses, dissertations,
and some biographies and autobiographies. Textbooks typically have authors’ degrees
and institutional affiliations after their names and the cover, text, and title tend not to be
eye-catching. Edited volumes are books with chapters written by different authors and
compiled by an editor. Like textbooks, the authors’ degrees and institutional affiliations
are indicated and they tend to have lackluster covers, text, and titles. Monographs are
long papers (essay or book length) on a specific, limited topic. Theses and dissertations
typically are identified as a thesis or dissertation on the title page. Academic biographies
or autobiographies include the credentials of biographer and the publisher tends to be
academic rather than popular or self publishing companies.
On the other hand, non-academic books include fiction and popular media. Fiction books
are not solely based on fact, such as novels, poetry, etc. Non-fiction popular media is
characterized by authors typically not listing their degree and affiliation and flashy covers
or titles. The difference between academic and non-academic books can be seen in this
example.
What’s the difference between academic and non-academic websites?
Academic websites are published by professional organizations or are proceedings from
professional conferences. Professional organizations include government organizations
and recognized legitimate professional bodies. You can recognize conference
proceedings by the material being presented in a regimented, prescribed or traditional
form. For example, abstracts typically follow a format of introduction of study, methods,
literature, analysis, conclusion, and future research.
On the contrary, most websites are commercial, activist, or humorous pages. Commercial
web pages tend to have ads or mention products available for sale. Activist websites may
appear to be professional, but have an agenda. Humorous web pages also may look like
they are serious or legitimate, but in fact are spoofs. You can use these links to see
examples of academic and non-academic websites.
When should I use an academic source?
For most assignments, academic sources are preferred. You can use non-academic
sources when requested by professor or when appropriate to assignment. One example
would be gathering data for an assignment about a recent controversial topic and or a
paper in which the content from magazines and newspapers serves as the site of analysis.
How can I find academic sources?
You can use a database to find academic sources. There are several multidisciplinary
databases, such as ProQuest. There also are discipline specific databases, such as
Contemporary Women’s Issues. More information about the use of these databases or
other means of accessing academic sources are available from your reference librarian.
Where can I get more information?
You can find information at the following websites or ask a reference librarian.