Instructions
A scholarly source is one where the information and analysis presented follow standards that ensure their truthfulness. In the past, scholarly sources were defined in part by the mode of publishing, such as refereed academic journals, major publications like The Economist that have a known high-quality editorial policy, or academic books published by university presses. However, with the advent of easy digitized production of source material, selecting credible sources has become more complex. While it is still true that the traditional ways of determining ‘scholarly sources’ remains valid, innovations such as Wikis, or the fast-paced publication on the Internet of information that far outstrips the slower pace of traditional academic publishing can also be credible sources. You, as a contemporary scholar, must be able to separate credible from non-credible sources, while remaining open to genuinely insightful ideas and information that may exist. For this particular assignment, however, you are required to choose bibliographic sources that are considered to be scholarly within the traditional definition of ‘scholarly source’.
A good, short guide to evaluating sources is given by: “Evaluating Sources” in the Purdue Online Writing Lab. This is also linked on your Student Online Services (SOS) page. You are to read this to get a sense of what is considered a ‘scholarly source’ – or at least a ‘truthful source’ in our contemporary world of an unprecedented information glut. Reading this short guide too will help you to write a better scholarly paper, as the guide in essence tells you what are the indications of a non-scholarly paper. It is both important, and intellectually satisfying, to be able to spot deceptive arguments and analyses.