Scholarly articles are written by researchers or experts in a field to share the results of their original research or analysis with other researchers and students. These articles often go through a process known as peer review where the article is reviewed by a group of experts in the field. The following characteristics can help you determine if an article is scholarly:
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Author(s) name included: Scholarly articles are written by experts or researchers, so make sure that the author’s name, along with their institution and scholarly credentials, are included.
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Technical or specialized language: Scholarly articles will often use technical or highly specialized language.
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Written for professionals: Scholarly articles are published in academic journals, which have titles that suggest they are written for professionals in a particular field of study and not for the general public.
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Charts, graphs, and diagrams: Scholarly articles communicate research results and will often include charts, graphs, or diagrams.
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Long (5 or more pages): Scholarly articles tend to be long. They are usually five or more pages.
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Bibliography included: Scholarly articles will include a bibliography or list of references at the end of the article.
It is important to note that not every article published in a peer-reviewed journal has gone through the peer-review process, so you will need to look at the journals publishing process and evaluate the article itself.