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Examples of scholarly sources include books and academic journals written by scholars and experts. Popular sources, on the other hand, are written by and intended for a general audience. Popular sources are not peer-reviewed, and they do not usually include a reference list.
While gray literature is not considered scholarly (or technically peer-reviewed) it is still an important source of information because it is produced by researchers and practitioners in the field. It is often data, summaries, facts, statistics, or other information from current and ongoing research (Weintraub, 2000).
To determine if your source has been peer-reviewed, you can investigate the journal in which the article was published. Try going to the journal’s website and finding information about their submission & revision guidelines, or search the journal title in UlrichsWeb Global Serials Directory to learn more about it.
Evaluating Sources. What kind of information do you need? If you are writing for a class assignment, you may be required to use peer-reviewed ("refereed") or scholarly sources. In any case, you should always look for sources that are authoritative.
Government resources are a rich source for statistical and research information. Government resources are generally considered authoritative and scholarly sources of information. Additionally, most government resources have no copyright restrictions.
Government documents and government websites are generally considered authoritative, credible sources of information. Many are scholarly, and some are even peer-reviewed! But, not all gov docs are scholarly or peer-reviewed. Government agencies produce a wide range of publications, for different purposes.
However, while some government reports may undergo internal review processes, not all of these documents are considered peer-reviewed or scholarly. For more information on how to find peer-reviewed articles, explore the library’s Searching for Peer-Reviewed Articles Research Guide.