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Psychology Research Basics

Learn to find credible, academically-appropriate resources for your psychology classes. Also, become an expert at citing them correctly

Popular, Substantive, and Scholarly Sources

Unless otherwise instructed by your teacher, you'll probably want to use a variety sources to help you gain a complete understanding of your topic. Sources of information generally fall within three categories. These categories are  Popular, Substantive, and Scholarly (or Peer Reviewed). To use them skillfully you need to be able to identify them and understand their differences.
 

Types of Information Scholarly, Substantive, and Popular Sources Scholarly Sources (example: journals like the New England Journal of Medicine) Produced by discipline experts and aimed at other experts Communicates specialized and discipline-specific information Often reporting original research and experimentation Some scholarly content is peer-reviewed Scholarly information is a great choice for college students, though it can be challenging to read and understand for the non-expert. Substantive Sources (example: newspapers of record like the New York Times) Produced by experts or journalists and geared toward an educated -- but not necessarily expert -- audience Communicates timely, credible information of general interest Fact-checked before publication Substantive information is a great choice for community college students because it is both credible and accessible Popular Sources (example: fun magazines like Men’s Health) Produced by journalists, staff and freelance writers, even AI; aimed at the general public Provides a broad overview of topics a general readership will find entertaining Great for identifying potential topic ideas and providing general introductions to topics If you want (or need) to use popular material for academic work, talk to your professor as you'll need to be sure to supplement it with articles from scholarly and substantive sources

 

Watch the brief video below for more information:

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CRAAP Test: Credibility is Crucial!

As you begin to explore your topic, you need to be sure that you are using the best possible sources of information. You will likely find a variety of sources during your research: books, articles, Web documents, interviews, DVDs, and more.  For each and every source you use you want to make sure it passed the CRAAP test: 

Currency - Is the content presented current enough for your project? For your specific research question?

Relevancy - Does it answer your research question?

Authority - Does the author have relevant expertise on the topic about which she is writing?

Accuracy - Is the information provided correct?

Purpose - Is the information biased? Is the author trying to persuade you to believe a certain way?

Watch the brief video below to learn more about the CRAAP Test:

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What is a Scholarly Journal

What is a scholarly journal?

  • Scholarly journals exist to disseminate new & important information within an academic discipline or professional field.
  • Journal articles are written by experts who work within these disciplines and fields.
  • Journal articles are aimed at an audience of other experts within that discipline or field.
  • Journals often contain original research, studies, and experiments.
  • These journals are often referred to as peer-reviewed journals.

 

How Can I Identify a Scholarly Journal

How can I identify a journal?

Look for: 

  • Author credentials such as advanced degrees and professional/academic affiliations.
  • Articles that are often substantially longer than articles in magazines and newspapers.
  • Heavy use of discipline-specific vocabulary and concepts. 
  • Extensive bibliographies of cited sources.

Where does peer review fit into all of this?

Peer review is a process that some scholarly journal publishers use to ensure the articles they publish represent the best scholarship currently available. Peer-reviewed journals are sometimes called "refereed" journals. When an article is submitted to a peer-reviewed/refereed journal, the editors send it out to other scholars in the same field to get their opinion on the quality of the scholarship and its relevance and importance to the field. This means that when an article is finally published in a peer-reviewed publication, there is a consensus among experts that the information communicated in that article is of the highest quality.

Not all scholarly publications are peer-reviewed, though it is very common for professors to request peer-reviewed articles to ensure you are exposed to the most credible information within your discipline.

Journals sound intense!

The specific nature of journal articles, combined with the use of specialized vocabulary, means they are not always easy to read for the non-expert. It is recommended that students have some basic knowledge about their topic before delving into scholarly information. This basic knowledge might be gleaned, for instance, from some of our Background Information databases. Scroll down the databases screen to see the complete list of background information databases.

 

Use MJC Library Databases to Find Peer-Reviewed Articles

Use MJC Library databases to find peer-reviewed articles

The MJC Library subscribes to several databases providing access to peer-reviewed journals. Not only do these databases provide access to this type of material, but they allow you to limit your searches to retrieve only peer-reviewed content. Take a look at the videos on the left for step-by-step instructions on how to limit your searches on various databases.
 

Except where otherwise noted, this work is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 and CC BY-NC 4.0 Licenses.