Characteristics of Scholarly Books
I. Author
- The authors of scholarly books hold advanced degrees in the field (or related to the topic) about which they are writing.
- Frequently, these authors have also published other scholarly books or articles within their field of study.
- The authors of scholarly books are usually professors at a college or university.
II. Publisher
- Books published on a university press tend to be scholarly. So, if the book in question was published by Yale University Press, or Temple University Press, the odds are high that it is scholarly.
- As a note of caution, some university presses also publish non-scholarly books. Accordingly, even if a book is published on a university press, you will want to check for other indications that the book is scholarly, such as citations.
- Some scholarly books are published by non-university presses.
- The name of the publisher should be listed on the title page of a book, or the back of the title page.
III. References / Works Cited / Notes / Bibliography
- Scholarly books go through an intensive editorial process to ensure that the research contained within them is accurate and complete.
- Scholars document their research in the form of citations, which show readers where their information comes from.
- You will find citations throughout the text of a book, and at the very end of it.
- The citations at the end of a book are usually on a page with a name such as References, Bibliography, Works Cited, or Notes.
