Getting Started in MTC Library

Peer-reviewed journal articles have the following characteristics:

• Written by experts, often affiliated with academic institutions. Authors' credentials should be easy to find.
• Published by academic or professional associations.
• Use specialized language and include citations.
• Often include graphs and tables.
• Undergo a peer review process before publication (look for a "received" and "accepted" date).

Scholarly books have the following characteristics:

• Written by experts with relevant credentials, often affiliated with universities or research institutions.
• Published by a scholarly press or university press.
• Uses specialized or technical language, assuming the reader has background knowledge in the subject.
• Includes standard academic sections, such as a table of contents and an index.
• Cites sources in a bibliography, reference list, footnotes, or endnotes, providing detailed information to locate those sources.