What Is A Scholarly Source

Chamberlain College of Nursing
What Is a Scholarly Source?
In any course you take, professors are going to ask you to find scholarly sources for discussions and assignments. A source is scholarly when it


comes from a professional, peer-reviewed publication (e.g., a journal or a government report such as from the FDA or CDC);



contains references for sources cited, so you can find the original source of information;



is written by a professional or scholar in the field and indicates credentials of the author(s); and



is no more than 5 years old; however, consult with your instructor regarding the appropriate age of articles. Most nursing, medical, science and social science journals meet these criteria. If an article seems like it is too simplistic or is a brief summary, look for other references. Don’t stop the hunt for your information.
Newspaper articles and lay person literature (Readers Digest, Healthy Life Magazine, Food and Fitness) can be sources for background about your topic for a project, but are not considered scholarly.
What else is not a scholarly source?


Course textbooks (course textbooks are not peer reviewed and are distillations, interpretations, and analyses of other work)



Lessons from online courses or undocumented handouts



Information from Wikipedia or any wiki



Articles in healthcare and nursing-oriented trade magazines, such as Nursing Made Incredibly Easy and RN Magazine

My textbook has a famous nursing author and is full of references. Why can’t I use my textbook as a scholarly source?
Textbooks are chosen carefully by Chamberlain faculty for accuracy and currency of the content, how the information is presented, and numerous other factors. For obtaining an organized foundation of knowledge in a given domain, textbooks are essential. These sources, however, are not peer reviewed.

TEXTBOOKS IN ASSIGNMENTS
In written papers, PowerPoint presentations, and other, similar course assignments, textbooks are not