Nursing Resources: Literature Reviews

• Purdue OWL - Literature Review

Identifying Scholarly Articles

Scholarly resources contain original research and disseminate new research among scholars. They are produced and reviewed by a panel of experts in a particular field of study. Before being approved for publication the article is scrutinized and undergoes a process by the author’s peers. During this process they evaluate the quality, accuracy, and performance of the paper.

*In some cases trade journals which contain articles written by experts for experts are considered scholarly, but are not peer-reviewed.

Electronic Resources or Databases have features that limit your search to peer-reviewed journals. This refinement feature is usually located on the Search page of a database.

Here are some tips to help identify a scholarly or peer-reviewed journal article:

1. Author

• The author(s) are identified with credentials
• Is the article authoritative?
• If anonymous this could be a red-flag

2. Title

• Some are quite lengthy, often descriptive and use specialized or technical jargon

3. Length

• In most cases, the article is more than 5 pages. The article should include a page(s) of sources cited. The article also contains in-depth analysis.

4. Content

• Determine the intended audience
• What is the level of information? Elementary or advanced?
• Determine if the content is fact, propaganda or the author’s opinion
• Is the information being conveyed objective?
• What about the coverage? Is it comprehensive?

5. References

• Look at the types of sources the author is using. Are they primary or secondary sources?
• Check the list of citations/references used. Do some cross-checking. Are these references to related materials?

6. Publishing

• Published by professional societies, academic associations, academic presses, or universities

It is also important to know not all content within a periodical is considered scholarly:

1. Commentaries or letters to the editor
2. Reviews found in the journals
3. Magazine articles

To locate articles or journals by subject go to WVU Libraries

https://libguides.wvutech.edu/az.php