How to find scholarly sources using
GMU Libraries databases.


Webster’s Third International
Dictionary defines scholarly as:
Concerned with academic study, especially research, exhibiting the methods and attitudes of a scholar, and having the manner and appearance of a scholar.

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1. Scholarly Sources Come in the form of scholarly journals.
2. Trade Sources Come in the form of trade journals.
 3. Popular Sources Come in the form of popular magazines, newspapers, or other periodicals.

 Authors

Staff or freelance writers


Not subject experts
May or may not receive credit.
 Appearance

Visually appealing.

Paid advertising, photographs, color.

Shorter articles.

No bibliographies or bibliographic references.

 Content

Might report on new research, but as a news item, feature story, opinion or editorial piece.
 Audience

General public.
 Examples

Newsweek, Time, The Economist, National
Geographic, and Psychology Today.

 Authors


Staff or freelance writers
May or may not be subject expert


Appearance

Visually appealing

Paid advertising, many photographs and color.
Content


Reports on problems or issues of a particular industry.
M ight contain industry terms or specialized vocabulary.

 Audience

People in that particular trade or industry.
 Examples

Billboard, Variety, American Libraries, and
Computer Week.

 Authors

Subject experts.

Receive credit.

Credentials will be listed.
 Appearance

Little or no advertising.

Lack color and glossy photographs.

Likely to have graphs, tables and charts.

Articles are lengthy with full bibliographies and references.

 Content

Includes reports on original research and theories.


Might include an abstract.
Gone through a peer-review or referee process.

Contains specialized vocabulary of the discipline.
 Audience

Scholars, researchers, students.
 Examples

Journal of American History, Science, Journal of
Accounting and Public Policy, and Lancet.



Scholarly publications go through a peerreview or referee process.
In this process, subject experts review the article to see if it is suitable for publication in a scholarly journal.

How can I check to see if a publication is peer-reviewed?


Many journals will have information about peer-review in the print copy of the journal or on their website.
You can also check to see if the journal is listed as refereed in Ulrich’s Periodicals
Directory .
 Many databases such as Science Direct and
JSTOR only have these sorts of peerreviewed, scholarly articles.

Is there a place I can easily find scholarly articles?
 Both Expanded Academic ASAP and
ProQuest databases allow you to limit your search results to scholarly, peer-reviewed articles. Just click the appropriate box.
 These databases are located at library.gmu.edu under the link Databases



When you select the option to limit your search to peerreviewed, scholarly sources, you still have the responsibility to ensure that information is truly scholarly.
Don’t just assume – verify!

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
Many faculty use the terms peer-reviewed, refereed, and scholarly interchangeably.
Don’t be confused – use the information in your class handout to assist you in deciding what sources will be best to included in your papers.
If you have questions, you can always find a librarian…



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In person, at any of the four
George Mason University
Libraries…
Via E-mail at the Help with
Research link on the library homepage
Via phone – the numbers are available at the Help with Research page, under
Contact Us
Or the Ask-A-Librarian, the virtual reference service, available on the homepage as well.


Here at library.gmu.edu under “Help with Research”