Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Scholarly sources

From our experiences in class, what do you think the major differences are between "scholarly sources" and non-scholarly sources, or sources collected from sources other than our library's research databases? What is the value of a scholarly source and what is the value of a non-scholarly source? What do you think of the requirement in most college classes that you limit your research to scholarly and academic sources?

12 comments:

  1. Scholarly sources come from experts in the field of which the source is describing. Non-scholarly sources are more easily available, but are often based in opinion, because non-scholarly sources can come from anyone. The internet is a wonderful source, but some on the information available is not correct because it can come from people who feel strongly but are uneducated on the topic. Both can be valuable. Scholarly sources are great because they are based in fact, and usually, the writer provides other references in case more information is desired. Non-scholarly sources are also good because they get ideas out. They are not based in fact, usually, but they are great sources for expanding on ideas.

    I feel that most classes limit the potential for papers when they only allow scholarly sources. Scholarly sources should be a requirement so that the topic of the paper is supported with fact, but I think that non-scholarly sources should be allowed because they can be just as relevant as something found in a library database.

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  2. Scholarly sources are peer-reviewed and from an expert on the subject. Non-scholarly sources aren't peer reviewed and may not be from experts on a particular subject. Scholarly sources are higher valued because they are trusted and the information you obtain from them is high quality. Non-scholarly sources may provide false information. By limiting soources to scholarly and academic sources you ensure that you use valid sources with valid information. Using research databases is a great tool when searching for scholarly and dependable sources for research.

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  3. Scholarly sources are distinguished because they are reveiwed by another person. This prevents any idle opinion or incorrect data as the peer reveiew would eliminate all extraneous or false information. Other sources do not have this benefit. Scholarly sources are a great tool because the student using them can be assured that they are using accurate information in their work. Colleges limit research to these sources because this makes sure that the students who represent the college have their facts straight when submiting an essay or research report. Personally I like unscholarly sources; ones like wikipedia are just as accurate, however, scholarly ones are preferred. Scholarly sources are more reputable and when comparing wikipedia to a published research document the document will always be stronger in a proffesional paper.

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  4. Scholarly sources are articles, books, papers, or references that are usually based on original research, studied, factual information, or some kind of experimentation. These sources are written by a researcher or expert who is often affiliated with a college or university. Articles that appear in scholarly journals or books published by academic publishers, are subject to a peer-review process, which means that other "experts" or specialists in the field evaluate the quality and originality of the research. The peer-review process is also one thing that sets scholarly journals apart from journals that are not labeled "scholarly."

    Scholarly sources and non scholarly sources are both used on different occasions. Universities require that students use scholarly sources because the papers that universities require are formal papers that need to be loaded with facts and professional opinions. I personally like using non-scholarly sources, but that is because I find that it's harder to find the right scholarly source that you need. You have to actually look for them. However, I understand why college students have to use scholarly sources because they definitely make college papers more reliable and factual.

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  5. Scholarly sources are sources that come from concrete sections such as books, academic articles, research papers, and other areas that require much research in the writing of the source. The more research that goes into the source, the more scholarly the source is if the sources that it is coming from are also scholarly. Other sources that are considered non-scholarly sources are sources that come from less concrete backgrounds. These can include articles from tabloids and other non-academic journals.

    For most instances, both scholarly and non-scholarly sources can be used. Scholarly sources should be used when trying to make a point that a writer is trying to make to an audience that will look at concrete facts. Non-scholarly sources can be used to give some background information, but these sources should always be confirmed with more solid scholarly sources.

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  6. I think a scholarly source is mainly one that can be backed with confidence that the author was somewhat an authority on the subject. They also mean that the information was obtained in a reliable way. So if there was research, it means the research method was sound. Both types of sources are reliable for learning about a subject we try to write about, and for establishing a knowledge base. But scholarly sources are the only kind that can be used as argument support because of their reliability.

    It is always important to gain information from those who first figured it out. This prevents convolution such as can be seen with facts passed around in the press.

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  7. The difference between scholarly sources and non-scholarly sources is that scholarly sources are from experts in their field, but more importantly, peer reviewed. This means it is a professional piece that people can rely on. The value of scholarly sources are the ideas they foster that supports a thesis, while non-scholarly sources (that are done is a professional manner) can be used as facts that supports a thesis. Sources such as Wikipedia should not be banned by universities because of its data base of facts.

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  8. Non-scholarly sources are those that could have been written by anyone. For instance Wikipedia is an example of a non-scholarly source. A scholarly source is a book or article written by someone with some credentials in the field that is being discussed.

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  9. Scholarly sources are sources that have been peer reviewed by knowledgable people on the subject. Their information is very accurate. Non-scholarly sources are not always accurate. They can still be valuable because they can give insight on a writer's opinion. Most colleges limit research to scholarly sources because they want the information to be accurate. If your information is not accurate, you could be basing your paper off of something that is entirely false.

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  10. Scholarly sources are sources that are considered to be very liable and knowledgeable about the subject that they are covering. However, non-scholarly sources are not liable or very accurate about the subject they are covering. They usually give an opinion rather than facts. Scholarly sources are better to use because they have no bias and usually teachers want the student to make up their own opinion about the subject. Also scholarly sources are just safer to use because they will strengthen the essay and give the student a better way to argue their opinion based on facts rather than opinions.

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  11. The major differences between scholarly and non-scholarly sources lie in how they are reviewed. A scholarly source is reviewed before it is published in a peer-reviewed journal, while a non-scholarly source might not have any peer revision whatsoever. Because of this, scholarly sources are considered more reliable than non-scholarly sources when being used for research. A scholarly source is valuable because it is an indicator of how well the author researched their topic. A non-scholarly source is most valuable as a guideline for research, meaning a non-scholarly source provides good general information which can then be used to research the topic more in-depth. The requirement that one limits their research to scholarly and academic sources helps students craft higher-quality writing that will benefit them throughout their future careers, especially as technical students such as those at New Mexico Tech.

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  12. The diffences between scholarly and not scholarily sources are how the paper is reviewed. Scholarly peer reviewed papers are reviewed by people in that same field of study. The peers knowledge of the subject constitutes to a accurate paper with actual fact holding water in the paper. A non-scholarly source is just one persons views and not actual fact. This characteristic of non-scholarly sources is frowned upon in college, because we need fact in our field of study not lies.

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