Earned Scholarly Average
"How can I tell if it is a scholarly source?"
Evaluating Books, Magazines, and Journals.
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This worksheet is a way to help you think about the scholarly worth of a source or, in other words, how reliable the source is as evidence to prove or disprove a thesis. Most scholars don't use a point system like this to figure out what a paper's E.S.A. (earned scholarly average) is.
Points |
Journal Article |
Book |
_____ |
Age of source: |
Age of Source: |
|
|
3 points if the article is 3 years or newer. | 3 points if the book is 4 years old or newer. |
| Subtract one point for each year older than above. | Subtract one point for each year older than above. | |
_____ |
Author: |
Author: |
|
|
1 point if the author has written on the topic before. | 1 point if the author has written on the topic before. |
| 2 points if the author specializes inwhat is being written about. | 2 points if the author specializes in what is being written about. | |
| 1 point if the author works for a college or university. | 1 point if the author works for a college or university. | |
| Subtract 1 point if the author is a journalist. | Subtract 1 point if the author is a journalist. | |
_____ |
Type of Source: |
Type of Source: |
|
|
3 points if referred scholarly journal. | 3 points for essay in collection. |
| 2 points if scholarly journal. | 2 points for university press. | |
| 0 points if popular magazine (e.g. Time, Economist, etc.) | 1 points for each favorable review. | |
_____ |
Add one point if the article or book has a bibliography. | |
_____ |
Add another point if the article or book has footnotes/references. | |
Scale:
6 points or above = Excellent source, provided it is relevant to your topic.
2-5 points = Worth a look.
0-1 point = It might be good background material, but keep looking.
How do I find out?
| UrlichsWeb, via library's web page | Vogel Library: Library Resources |
| Bill Katz/Magazines for Libraries | Ref. 016.05 M27 |
| Book Review Digest | Index 028.1 B64d |
Check the biography (back of book, beginning of article, etc.)
Check the title page and the back of the title paper of a journal. If it is published by a college, university or learned society, it is probably a scholarly journal. If it is refereed, it will usually list an editorial board and provide a description of manuscript requirements.
Remember: You can limit to refereed, scholarly journals on Academic Search Premier (EBSCOhost).
