Watch the three videos: 1. Who are stakeholders, 2. Using library databases, and 3.Where's the source? Use the arrow commands below the media player to move on to the next video.
It can be difficult to identify scholarly sources. Not all scholarly sources look the same, and popular and scholarly sources can have similar characteristics (citing scholarly research, for example). Similarly, both popular and scholarly sources can be biased or have errors. Determining whether a source is popular or scholarly involves reviewing a variety of source characteristics, time, and practice.
There are two sources linked below. Both of these sources are trustworthy and could be used to support research, but one is scholarly and the other is popular. Practice spotting the differences between the two articles linked below. Without reading either source, try to note each article's author, audience, purpose. Pay attention to number and types of sources each article cites. Compare vocabulary of the two sources and the type of visuals the articles feature.
Next, match the source characteristics listed on the left with the appropriate source type, popular or scholarly. To do this, drag the tiles on the left to the correct placeholders in either the "Scholarly Source" section (the top set of drop zones) or the "Popular Source" section (the bottom set of drop zones). Review the sample popular and scholarly sources above for clues.
Discuss with classmates or reflect on your own:
CEET is based on What could a writer do with this source? by Kristin M. Woodward/Kate L. Ganski is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Selecting relevant sources is more than finding the type of source that is required and it is more than finding a source that contains your keywords. As the researcher you will want to select sources that enable you to engage a question or a problem.
A list of required sources will help you envision what a good bibliography will do: show your reader the depth and breadth of your research. Gathering all of the required sources for an assignment does not substitute for engaging with sources in your writing. A well researched paper will converse with the ideas and information presented in sources.
Scholarly writers engage with the work of others through the strategic selection of research and ideas pertinent to the question or problem under discussion. When trying to decide if a source is pertinent to your question, it can be helpful to ask yourself: What could a writer do with this source? Could this source provide background facts or information? Could I analyze or interpret this source for my reader? Could this source refine my question or extend my thesis? Could this source be a lens for interpreting competing findings?
A paper that cites a lot of contextual sources will be a boring report. A paper that cites a lot of expert sources without including an example runs the risk of rehashing the ideas of others instead of applying the ideas of others to new questions or contexts.