A Guide to Scholarly Sources, Academic Articles, and Efficient Research

Navigating academic research can be a daunting task. This stress can compounded as a student or in research as the expectations for source quality and critical thinking are significantly higher. Regardless of your discipline, understanding how to identify, read, and evaluate scholarly sources is essential.

This guide breaks down everything you need to know to work smarter, not harder, with academic literature.

What Counts as a Scholarly Source in APA?

In academic writing following the American Psychological Association (APA), not all sources are the same. To qualify as a scholarly source there are strict standards of credibility, transparency, and evidence-based reasoning.

This leads to the question many people have, what qualifies as “scholarly”?

The gold standard for scholarly articles are peer-reviewed journal articles. These types of articles are submitted and reviewed by experts in the respective field before publication. This ensures the research is accurate, methodologically sound, and provides a meaningful contribution to the discipline. These types of journals will publish important studies in the field. 

Empirical studies are original research studies where the authors collect and analyze their own data. If you are reading a publication that discusses original investigation and contains sections such as methodology, results, and discussion it is likely you are reading an empirical paper. 

Theoretical articles differ from empirical studies in that they do not present new data. These publications instead propose new frameworks, models, or way to organize thinking about existing and emerging concepts. These types of studies are especially valuable when building the conceptual foundation of a project. 

Systemic reviews and meta-analyses are common types of publication that synthesize findings from multiple studies. They are very powerful, especially at the onset of a new study as they provide a high-level view of what is collectively known in the field. More importantly, they may also have insights into gap in knowledge in the respective field. 

Government and agency reports can also be used as scholarly sources in appropriate cases. It is import that the government organization is reputable and provides data, analysis, and references in their report. 

Just as important is knowing what doesn’t count as a. scholarly article. Generally if it is not one of the items mentioned above it should be avoided as a scholarly article. Publications like blogs, general news articles, anonymous websites, and even popular resources like Wikipedia are not considered scholarly in APA-style work. A simple rule to help evaluate sources is if a source lacks clear authorship, references, or peer review, it likely doesn’t meet the standard.

Types of Scholarly Articles You’ll Encounter

As you begin exploring the literature, you’ll quickly realize that not all scholarly articles serve the same purpose. Different types of articles are written for specific purposes. Understanding how to recognize the type of article you’re reading or find the type of article you need can save you time and help you extract relevant information more efficiently.

Empirical research articles are the backbone of most academic fields. These studies test hypotheses using data collected through experiments, surveys, interviews, or observations. They are especially common in healthcare and behavioral sciences.

• Theoretical articles focus on ideas rather than data. They propose new models or refine existing theories, making them valuable when you’re developing frameworks or interpreting findings.

• Review articles, including systematic reviews and meta-analyses, summarize existing research across multiple studies. If you’re new to a topic, these are often the best place to start because they provide a comprehensive overview of the field.

• Case studies take a deep dive into a single subject to generate broader insights. These are frequently used in business and healthcare education.

• Position papers or expert commentaries offer professional perspectives. While they may not include original data, they are often peer-reviewed and grounded in expertise.

Each type serves a distinct purpose. If you need background and context, start with a review article. If you’re testing a hypothesis, focus on empirical studies. If you’re building a conceptual model, theoretical work will be your foundation.

How to Read Academic Articles Without Getting Lost

If you’ve looked at an academic article you understand that they can be dense. Reading them straight through from start to finished can take a lot of time and may not be the best approach. This is doubly relevant if you find you reading full articles that are not relevant to your investigation. The key is not to read every single part of every article, but to approach them strategically. 

Most scholarly articles you come across will follow a standard structure known as IMRaD. While there may be additional sections, these articles at a minimum will include:

• Introduction

• Methods

• Results

• Discussion

A great way to begin reviewing these articles is not to read them start to finish but instead start with reading the title and abstract. This can help you quickly determine the relevance of the article to your investigation. If it is not relevant then you can move onto the next article. If it seems relevant you can jump to the discussion and conclusion to see the main findings and implications to further evaluate the relevance. 

If the article still seems relevant at this point, a quick skimming of the introduction for context can be done. If the relevancy and context hold up, you can dive into the methods and results sections to evaluate the study’s rigor or extract specific data from their findings.

Active reading such as highlighting key findings, jotting down questions, and summarizing sections in your own words also helps with reading scholarly articles. Having a specific question or purpose for your article view also helps filter out unecessary info. This approach allows you to process more articles in less time without sacrificing comprehension.

How to Find Scholarly Articles That Are Actually Useful

You know the types of scholarly articles and you know how to read them, now you need to learn where to find them. Your best starting point would be a university library and their databases. This includes databases such as EBSCOhost, ScienceDirect, ProQuest, PsycINFO, Embase, Cna CINAHL that provide access to high0quality, peer-reviewed research. Each database may have a specific industry focus on subject matter that are important to be aware of. 

Scholarly search engines such as Google Scholar are also helpful tools. They do require extra caution as not all results indexed in Google Scholar are peer-reviewed. as with any source it is always important to verify the sources.

Most databases also allow for filters to focus searches. Articles can typically be filtered by publication date, subject area, and peer-review status. These tools can dramatically improve the quality and efficiency of your results.

How to Quickly Evaluate a Source Before You Read It

Not every article is relevant to your investigation. Not every article deserves your time. Before diving in make sure and take a moment to evaluate the source and help determine if it is worth reading. 

It is usually best to start with review articles to understand the field, then to move into more specific empirical studies relevant to your research question. When reviewing articles start with evaluating the author. Check to see if they are affiliated with a reputable university or research institution? Next, consider the publication to determine if it is a peer-reviewed journal. 

Next check the publication date to make sure it is a recent publication. This is especially important if you are researching in a field with rapid changes and evidence based practices matters, like healthcare. Then assess relevance by scanning the title and abstract. Finally, watch for bias. Are the claims supported by data, or are they largely opinion-based?

Most of this can be evaluated in a few quick minutes by skimming the first page and glancing at the reference list. 

You don’t need to read every article, you use need to make sure you are reading the right ones. By understanding what qualifies  as scholarly articles, recognizing the different type of articles, and adopting strategies to quickly evaluate and read relevant articles and increase the quality and efficiency of your research. 

Evaluating sources isn’t about gatekeeping but ensuring research quality controls. Strong research depends on a strong foundation and the sources chosen will impact the credibility of your work.