How do I know what is and is not a "scholarly source"?
A couple of things to ask yourself as you evaluate the source:
Who published it? Either the name of the journal or the name of the press in the case of a book.
What’s the authority of the writers? Are they scholars? What expertise do they have to write about the topic?
What’s the intended audience? For whom was the source written? Was it written for scholars? For the general public? For students? Scholarly sources are typically written by scholars for other scholars.
Did it go through a review process? Journals can have peer-review processes and books from academic and university presses often undergo peer review, too.
Do the authors cite their sources? Scholarly sources will usually have citations or a references list so that readers can review the evidence supporting the source.
Keep in mind: Sources that are not scholarly may still have value and be informative to your research.
What are some strategies for using good key terms in the advanced search bar?
It’s good to have a list of words so you can iterate your searches. You probably won’t find what you want on the first shot, and that’s normal.
Think about your topic and what interests you about it specifically. What’s your angle? Use those words or phrases to narrow down your search.
For example, if I search for: Iraq War in Nimitz Search, it brings back lots of results about the conflict starting in 2003, as well as the first Gulf War, the Iraq-Iran war, etc.
Searching for: 2003 Iraq War media gives results focused on my topic. Sometimes it helps to be broad when you’re just starting your research and need background information. Eventually you’ll need to get specific with your search terms.
How do I pick out the evidence I need from a book?
Look at the table of contents to identify relevant chapters or sections to focus on. Also consult the index in the back of the book to find where specific subjects and people are mentioned.
How do I determine a "best" database to search in? Which are most regulated/reviewed for correct, accurate information?
There is no one best database, and often your research will benefit from searching multiple databases. It all depends on what you’re looking for. If you’re at the beginning of your research and need an overview of background information or to place your topic in context, consider using Nimitz Search to find a book. If you’re looking for analysis or interpretation, use one of our many databases to find a journal article. You can filter the database list by subject and source type to narrow down the list.
Are primary sources, such as public addresses, still valid sources if they are technically just an individual's personal views and opinions?
Yes, primary sources can be valid sources. Primary sources, like speeches, newspaper articles, diary entries, letters and other documents are closest in time to the history of an event and allow us to read first-hand records of a time or event. This compares to secondary sources which provide interpretations or analyses of events from people writing after the thing has happened. Both types can be useful, and it can be a good strategy to balance primary sources with secondary sources in your papers.
How do I research and navigate what is a scholarly source if we were to just do a Google search?
If you just did a Google search, you’d have to do some additional research to identify what the item is (a journal, a website, a news site, etc.), the credibility of the source and of the authors. If you like the Google interface and are looking for scholarly sources, try Google Scholar. It omits websites so most results will be some kind of scholarly source. It’ll often pop up in a Google Search at the top of the screen:
You’ll still need to identify if the item is peer reviewed, and most importantly, its relevance to your topic. But it’s helpful to narrow down your search results to just scholarly stuff.
How do I find proper citations?
Many databases will have an option to generate a citation. Here’s what it looks like in Nimitz Search:
Here’s what it looks like in JSTOR:
Always double check that the auto-generated citations are correct. Check out our citation guide for more help.
How do I determine if a source is peer reviewed or not?
A few ways:
In Nimitz Search, items in peer-reviewed journals are flagged:
You can also visit the journal’s homepage by searching Google for the journal name. Usually you’ll find information about peer review, referees, or something similar on the About or Submissions page. Here’s an example for Political Science Quarterly. Note the mention of “professionally refereed” items:
What are things we should do to decide between two similar sources?
Think about what makes them different. Are the arguments different? Do the authors of each source have different expertise? Is one newer or older than the other? Finding these differences and identifying how they relate to your topic can help you decide which to pick. Consider asking your librarian and/or instructor for help, too.
