Depending on the field, assignment, and professor, you may be asked to find peer-reviewed, refereed, academic, or scholarly articles. If you're confused about assignment requirements, we strongly encourage you to discuss them with your professor!
These terms are interchangeable with each other - the articles are always either reviewed or refereed by multiple experts (peers) in a highly structured and critical process. The author then receives that feedback, makes changes and resubmits the work, and then the journal editor decides whether or not to publish it.
These terms are interchangeable with each other, and these articles are not always peer-reviewed/refereed. These articles are still research focused and heavily sources (lots of references), and written for an academic audience, but they may have only been reviewed by an editorial board, rather than content experts.
If you find something you are not sure is reliable, use TRAAP to analyze the information. You can do this with any source, but definitely evaluate everything you find from the internet (databases should have mostly reliable resources and you can eliminate non-peer reviewed sources from your search).
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Timeliness The timeliness/newness of the information |
Ask: When was the information published or posted? Has the information been revised or updated? Is the information current or too out-of-date for my topic? |
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Relevance The importance of the information for your needs. |
Ask: Does the information relate to my topic or answer my question? Who is the intended audience? Is the information at an appropriate level (i.e. not too simple or advanced) for my needs? Did I look at a variety of sources before deciding to use this one? |
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Authority The source of the information. |
Ask: Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor? What are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations, if given? What other pieces has this author wrote? Does the URL reveal anything about the author or source (.com .edu .gov .org .net)? |
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Accuracy The reliability, truthfulness, and correctness of the information. |
Ask: Where does the information come from? Is the information supported by evidence? Has the information been reviewed by anyone else? Can I verify any of the information in another source or from personal knowledge? Does the language or tone seem biased? Or is it free of emotion? Errors? |
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Purpose The reason the information exists. |
Ask: What is the purpose of the information? to inform? teach? sell? entertain? persuade? Is the information fact? opinion? propaganda? Does the point of view appear objective and impartial? Are there political, cultural, religious, institutional, or personal biases? |