Introduction to Rutgers University Libraries
What does scholarly mean?
See below for typical features of a scholarly article. Most databases and QuickSearch, to the left of your search results, allow you to limit your results to peer-reviewed articles. However, just because your article is published in a scholarly journal doesn't mean that it is scholarly. Scholarly journals include items that are NOT scholarly, for example, editorials and book reviews. If you are unsure about using the information you've found, be sure to check with a librarian at Ask a Librarian or your professor.
Where do I find scholarly articles?
While it is possible to find scholarly articles on the Internet using a search engine such as Google, often you will be asked to pay for those articles. Rutgers subscribes to many Indexes and Databases to search for scholarly articles and other materials. If you log in with your Rutgers NetID, you won't have to pay.
Many databases will have limits to the left of your search results, including a limit for scholarly sources.
If you're searching for scholarly articles in Google Scholar, be sure to log in at Indexes and Databases. In most cases, you don't have to pay for articles you find in Google Scholar.
Scholarly vs Non-fiction Books: Is this book scholarly?
Scholarly books can be great sources for Project 4. Review the table below to compare the differences between scholarly books and popular non-fiction books. Use QuickSearch to locate and request books and e-books held at any of the Rutgers libraries.
