Information is presented in a wide range of source types, each of which are useful for different things. For definitions and overviews, a Reference Source is appropriate. In this course, it is important to understand and utilize sources on the other end of the spectrum: Scholarly Articles. Scholarly Articles present original research and are written by the scholars who conceived and conducted the research.
In this course, we are concerned with Social Science research, which can be qualitative or quantitative. After completing research and writing an article, scholars seek publication in a Scholarly Journal by submitting their work to journals and undergoing peer-review. During peer-review, experts in the same field review the article and verify the methods and data are valid. After passing through peer-review articles are published in journals (print or online or both). Scholars read the journals in their area of study and incorporate what they learn from others' research into their own work, which continues the cycle of new research.