Skip to Main Content

PSYC 4314 (Hentges): Child Psychology: Home

Ways in which academic / scholarly information sources are distinguished from non-academic popular and professional or trade sources include:

---  intended audience
---  rigor of the pre-publication review
---  level of comprehension needed to understand or
     evaluate the content
---  presence of works cited/references lists

 

Related guide:

Scholarly journals usually are peer-reviewed. A peer-reviewed (or refereed) journal:

  • uses experts from the same subject field or profession as the author to evaluate a manuscript prior to acceptance for publication
  • has articles that report on research studies or provide scholarly analysis of topics
  • may include book reviews, editorials, or other brief items that are not considered scholarly articles

Many library research databases allow you to limit search results to peer-reviewed journals:

check box for scholarly peer reviewed journals

Summary of the Peer Review Process

Image by Jessica McCullough (http://home.gwu.edu/~mccull1/peerreview.html); used with permission.

The majority of non-fiction books owned by the library are scholarly, academic works, but there are exceptions. The identity of the publisher is one indicator of whether a book is likely to be scholarly in nature. You may want to look for:

  • university presses (Oxford University Press, Princeton University Press, etc.)
  • commercial publishers that specialize in academic titles such as SAGE, Routledge, Elsevier, Springer, or Wiley Blackwell (more examples from Colorado State Univ. Libraries)
  • professional organizations such as American Psychological Association or National Council of Teachers of English

In addition, look for:

  • author credentials
  • works cited, references, or footnotes
  • formal or technical language specific to the discipline

Use your UHCL ID card to borrow books and other materials.

Use your UHCL username (e.g., jonest1234)  and password:

► to authenticate from off-campus for databases and e-resources

► to sign in to OneSearch and renew materials online or request items from other UH libraries

► to sign in to ILLiad interlibrary loan and request items from outside UH libraries

Bayou Building 2402, 2700 Bay Area Blvd, Houston, TX 77058-1002