What are Scholarly Resources?
Scholarly Resources or Journals are research works or academic writings which are developed by experts in that particular research field or topic for that matter. These sources consist of extensively researched and evaluated ideas and results. These academic writings are done by the experts in order to provide information regarding a topic or to fulfill the purpose of a study.
It is possible that these resources also include original data and statistics directly conducted by the researchers and thus, become a great source for conducting secondary research. These resources can be used by the scholars, doctoral students or other novice researchers for conducting their own research and use these resources for reference or citation purposes as they are thoroughly evaluated by experts of the particular discipline or field in which the research has been conducted.
What are Peer-Reviewed Resources?
Peer-Reviewed or Refereed resources are those scholarly journals which have been critically analysed and evaluated by other experts and professionals from the same field. The scholarly resources go through a rigorous process of assessment and the peers make critical judgments on them. This judgment actually works as the feedback which is insightful for the enhancement of the scholarly resource.
This evaluation process is similar to making editing notes which allows the researcher to make changes in their work as per the critical analysis making their research work or academic paper more authentic. However, these peer reviews are not showcased publicly and remain limited to the researcher’s knowledge.
Difference Between Scholarly And Peer-Reviewed Resources
All the scholarly journals or resources do not go through the peer-assessment process; whereas, it is safe to say that all the peer-reviewed resources are scholarly resources too. In other words, Scholarly journals are academic research work which are developed by experts in the hope of making progress in the field of study or to come in handy for the research conducted by other experts, researchers or students. However, Peer-Reviewed resources amplify the authenticity of the research after being critically evaluated by multiple experts from the same discipline. Most of the scholarly students and academic researchers try to find peer-reviewed resources in order to make their work more reliable and resourceful.
Sources Which May or May not be Scholarly Resources or Journals
There are many sources from which information can be collected but not all of them are considered scholarly journals. Oftentimes, these resources have a thin line that draws the distinction. Therefore, to make it easier for you to define what should NOT be included in your dissertation writing or academic research, go through the list below:
Magazines and Newspapers
Magazines and Newspapers contain journals which are written by professionals and experienced people in the concerned field. However, they write mostly for the general public and not to fulfill the purpose of further research.
Books and Book Reviews
Books reviews are edited and proofread before getting published but they contain more of personal opinion then it is required to use for academic writing purposes. These are not even peer-reviewed sometimes which make them doubtful resources too.
Conference Proceedings
Conference proceedings are listing the information and order of things which were discussed in a conference. It may be conducted by the experts and received questions and answers related to the topic which are prominent for your dissertation writing as well. However, sometimes the language and perspective used in conferences are not eligible or worthy to be used for conducting research.
Government Documents
Government documents may or may not be included in the scholarly journals. They include technical and scientific data and conclusions which can be used for a thorough research or dissertation writing. Although, many times these government documents are addressed to the general public making it a little less relevant for the research scholars.
Theses and Dissertations
Theses and Dissertations are prepared by students or scholars in a specific field and these studies are based on citations and references properly mentioned at the end. However, these are not considered as the work of experts and oftentimes are not even peer-reviewed.
How to decide which resources are useful for the Dissertation Preparation?
All scholarly resources can be used for the preparation of a dissertation or to develop an academic writing; however, the peer-reviewed articles and studies remain the first choice of the scholars and researchers. The research work done by experts in the given field of study with the critical evaluation of other experts make the work authentic and well-presented to the audience.
Also, as per the section above, there are minute differences between general and scholarly content. This is why it becomes important to consult with the dissertation guide to find out the resources which can be used as references in your dissertation writing. This allows in developing a search well-conducted while keeping the purpose of the study intact.