PHI208 Week 3 Assignment 1 Applying an Ethical Theory

Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources

Source type What is it? Examples Best used for

Scholarly A source written by scholars or academics in a field. The purpose of many scholarly sources

Scholarly Journals Journal articles:

is to report on original research or • Journal of Management Information • Recent research on a topic experimentation in order to make such Systems • Very specific topics or narrow information available to the rest of the • American Journal of Public Health fields of research scholarly community. The audience for • Early Childhood Research Quarterly • NOT good for an introduction to scholarly sources is other scholars or experts or broad overview of a topic in a field. Scholarly sources include references and usually use language that is Scholarly Books (published by a university technical or at a high reading level. press or other high-quality publisher) Books:

*Note: Different databases may define “scholarly” in slightly different ways, and thus

• Shari’a Politics: Islamic Law and Society in the Modern World

• In-depth information and research on a topic

a source that is considered “scholarly” in one • The Grand Design: Strategy and the • Putting a topic into context database may not be considered “scholarly” U.S. Civil War • Historical information on a topic in another database. The final decision about • The Hidden Mechanics of Exercise: the appropriateness of a given source for a Molecules That Move Us particular assignment is left to the instructor.

Peer Reviewed A publication that has gone through an Refer to “Scholarly Journals” examples Refer to “Scholarly Journals” description official editorial process that involves review and approval by the author’s peers (experts in the same subject area). Many (but not all) scholarly publications are peer reviewed.

Books go through a different editorial process and are not usually considered to be “peer

*Note: even though a journal is peer reviewed, some types of articles within that

reviewed”. However, they can still be excellent scholarly sources.

journal may not be peer reviewed. These might include editorials or book reviews.

**Note: some publications (such as some trade journals) can be peer reviewed but not scholarly. This is not common.

Credible A source that can be trusted to contain accurate information that is backed up by evidence or can be verified in other trusted sources. Many types of sources can fall into this category.

Refer to “Scholarly Journals” examples. Also:

• Newspapers • Magazines • Books • Trade journals or publications

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Basic/general/background information about a topic Current events Local news Statistical data Information about specific

*Note: The final decision about the appropriateness of a given source for a particular assignment is left to the instructor.

• Government websites • Websites from educational

institutions (like universities) • Websites or other publications from

reputable organizations (like the Mayo Clinic)

• Encyclopedias (general or subject)

Many websites could be considered credible. The more information provided about the source, the more likely they are to be credible. Look for information about the author and/or the organization, how recently it was published, the intended audience, the intended purpose, and whether there is evidence of bias.

• • • •

organizations or companies (look at the organization’s or company’s website, or look for articles in newspapers or trade journals) Government information Information about popular culture Opinions or commentaries Topics of general interest