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University Library DePaul Library

Scholarly Sources (A How-to Guide): Recognizing Scholarly

Understanding and finding scholarly sources at the DePaul University Libraries

Recognizing Scholarly

Scholarly Articles Checklist

  • Sources always documented in a bibliography,references or works cited list, or footnotes at the bottom of each page
  • Lengthy often 10+ pages
  • Authors' affiliations listed - professors, scholars, or researchers
  • Describes the results of original research (e.g. experiments, case studies or analyses)
  • Graphs, charts, tables, equations
  • Written for experts - use of jargon or technical language
  • Multiple authors
  • Long, descriptive title
  • Journal's title often begins with Journal of... or contains the words Review or Quarterly