Scholarly journals are the method by which researchers share the results of their work. After experiments and research are conducted, the results analyzed, etc. the researchers write an article that gives readers an overview of recent research on the given topic, an outline of the research question the researcher hoped to answer, the methods used to conduct the research and the analysis of that research. Finally, the researchers offer their conclusion, what they actually learned and what the next steps for additional research might be.
If you need to use research articles in your project, look for headings in the article that reflect those areas: Title and Author information; Abstract; Introduction and/or Literature Review; Method or Methodology; Results or Findings; Discussion, Comments or Conclusion; and References - usually a high number of them!
Scholarly journals may also be referred to as academic. Some databases will simply label these as journals.
Author(s) typically have advanced degrees relating to the subject matter, as do the editors. Many scholarly sources are peer-reviewed (sometimes referred to as refereed), meaning content is edited and approved for publication by a team of reviewers whose members have similar advanced credentials in relation to the subject. Extensive lists of citations and notes are included.
Content may be difficult to fully comprehend without fairly extensive background knowledge of the content matter, although this varies with the discipline and the type of article encountered (primary/original research vs. reviews/overviews).
One criteria relating to the evaluation of information is the authority of the information. Scholarly, peer-reviewed sources are considered to be VERY authoritative due to the required background of the authors and editors, as well as the peer-review process.
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If you are on-campus you are encouraged to stop by the Library and ask for help, we welcome the opportunity to work with you.
If you are off-campus and we are open your best option is to call the Reference Desk at 315-786-2482 and ask for one of us. You can also contact us via email or if you need immediate assistance and we are not open, you can chat with a librarian online (likely not a JCC librarian, but helpful nonetheless) as outlined on our "Ask for Help" web page.
We look forward to working with you!
John Thomas (jthomas@sunyjefferson.edu / 315-786-2314)
Beverly Scarpulla (bscarpulla@sunyjefferson.edu / 315-786-2224)