Communication Design

Books

Generally the library evaluates the content of print and ebooks before ordering items and placing them in the collection. Some things to look for when assessing for scholarly content:

• Is the book published by a University Press Publisher or known publisher in the field?
• Credentials of author or editor:  are they an expert in the field, a professor? Conduct some investigations to find out, use Google.
• Are there citations and a bibliography?
• Are there reviews of the book by the author’s peers?

Journal Articles

If you are searching for articles through the library's General Search, use the advanced search option and click scholarly peer reviewed under the limit search results box. The same applies when searching in individual databases. Having said that, it's still always a good idea to assess a journal article on its own merits.

• Is the journal published by a University Press or Professional Organization?
• Are the author’s credentials included?
• Does the article include citations and a bibliography?
• Does the article have an abstract?
• Is the journal mostly text (with some illustration and tables) or does it have advertisements?

Websites

Websites can be useful tools for accessing information. Keep in mind though that information on the Internet is not always current, accurate or authoritative. Ask questions like:

• Who made and maintains this site ? What are their credentials ? Is the information current ?
• What is the domain name of the site? Sites with .edu and .gov should provide credible information
• Is there an about page on the site that states who made it?

Keep in mind, just because you find something on the library shelves or though one of the library's databases does not mean it is a scholarly source.