LibGuides: NATS 1550: The Science of Animal Migration: Compare Types of Sources

Flow of Scientific Information

Vogel, T. LibGuides: CHEM 6C: General Chemistry III (Spring 2019): Flow of Scientific Information. https://ucsd.libguides.com/chem6c/informatio

Scholarly vs. Popular Sources

CRITERIA	SCHOLARLY PUBLICATIONS	POPULAR PUBLICATIONS (e.g. magazines, newspapers, etc...)
Advertising	may contain selective advertising	will contain extensive advertising
Authors & Audience	written by and for academics or researchers	written by staff or freelance writers for a broad audience
Format & Graphics	may include graphs and charts; seldom contain glossy pages or pictures	often slick and glossy; will contain photographs, illustrations and/or drawings
Language	may use discipline-specific language or jargon	uses everyday language that is accessible to the average reader
Length	lengthy articles with in-depth coverage of topics	shorter articles: usually provide broad overview of topics
Publishers	generally published by a professional organization	published for profit
Purpose	to inform, report, or make available original research to the scholarly world	to entertain, inform, or persuade
Sources	footnotes and/or bibliographies	rarely cite any sources

Elements of Scholarly Article

Peer Review Process

Scrutinizing science: Peer review. Retrieved September 14, 2018, from https://undsci.berkeley.edu/article/howscienceworks_16

Peer-reviewed Articles

What is "peer review"?

Peer-reviewed or refereed articles are articles that before publication have gone through a rigorous process of approval by a panel of experts in that particular field. This process helps ensure that these articles are considered credible sources of information and the best in the field.

How to identify a peer-reviewed article?

Omni will tell you if a particular journal is peer reviewed, and if it is, then research articles in it will (almost certainly) be peer reviewed. Another reliable way is to check the journal using Ulrich's International Periodical Directory.

Defining Primary and Scondary Sources

Primary sources in the sciences are different than primary sources in the social sciences and humanities.

To find scientific primary sources for your research papers, use the science databases suggested in the Journal Articles section.

What is a primary source?

Primary sources are: First-hand research or an original data document or record. If someone does an experiment and writes it up, that is a primary source.

What is a secondary source?

Secondary sources are: Published or unpublished work that summarizes, analyzes, or evaluates the original source of work.