By Giordana Fiori

Credible sources vs scholarly sources: what is a scholarly source?

  • Credible sources are popular sources, such as newspapers and magazines, government websites, or websites of well-respected associations.
  • Scholarly sources are written by highly-qualified researchers and have a thorough publication process. Scholarly sources often have a specific audience in mind, most likely other experts in the particular field of study.
    • Peer reviewed scholarly sources: if a journal is peer reviewed it means that scholars have reviewed the articles and have decided that the sources are reliable, the research is sound, and the writing is solid.

Where do I find reputable scholarly sources?

Public libraries or university libraries have subscriptions to databases where these sources are housed:

  • CUNY SPS has access to the Baruch College Newman library: Search the library system’s database through CUNY One Search (you can find articles on google scholar too, but they are free on the library website!).
    1. Click on one search link.
    2. Type in your keywords: too many results?
    3. Narrow it down using the sidebar on the right.
    4. Email the source to yourself or download a pdf.

What is a specialized database?

A specialized database – often called a research or library database – allows targeted searching on one or more specific subject areas (i.e., engineering, medicine, Latin American history, etc.), for a specific format (i.e., books, articles, conference proceedings, video, images), or for a specific date range during which the information was published. Most of what specialized databases contain can not be found by Google or Bing.

When should I use a specialized database?

Specialized databases are especially helpful if you require a specific format or up-to-date, scholarly information on a specific topic. Many databases are available both in a free version and in a subscription version. Your affiliation with the Newman library grants you access to member-based services at no cost to you.

What is a database scope?

Information about the specific subject range, format, or date range a particular specialized database covers is called its scope. A specialized database may be narrow or broad in scope, depending on whether it, for instance, contains materials on one or many subject areas.

How do I search a database effectively?

  • Key words: Databases are better searched by beginning with only a few general search terms, reviewing your results and, if necessary, limiting them in some logical way.
  • Limiting your search: Many databases allow you to choose which areas (also called fields) of items to search for your search term(s), based on what you think will turn up documents that are most helpful. For instance, you may think the items most likely to help you are those whose titles contain your search term(s). In that case, your search would not show you any records for items whose titles do not have your term(s). Or maybe you would want to see only records for items whose abstracts contain the term(s).
  • Records and fields: The information researchers usually see first after searching a database is the “records” for items contained in the database that also match what was asked for by the search. Each record describes an item that can be retrieved and gives you enough information so that you can decide whether it should meet your information needs. The descriptions are in categories that provide different types of information about the item. These categories are called “fields.” Some fields may be empty of information for some items, and the fields that are available depend on the type of database.

Which fields are typically available?

A bibliographic database describes items such as articles, books, conference papers, etc. Common fields found in bibliographic database records are:

  • Author.
  • Title (of book, article, etc.).
  • Source title (journal title, conference name, etc.).
  • Date.
  • Volume/issue.
  • Pages.
  • Abstract.
  • Descriptive or subject terms.

Useful links:

Sources: