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Cape Breton Language Centre & the CBU Library

Identifying Scholarly Books

Look for clues to help decide if a book is scholarly.

AUTHOR
Who is the author?  Does the author have an advanced degree and an affiliation with a university?  Is the advanced degree related to the book's subject matter? 

Look for other works by the author. Check Novanet or a relevant article database to see if the author has published elsewhere.

PUBLISHER
Is the book published by a university press or scholarly association? If a publisher is unknown to you, locate their website and look for information about the publisher under "About".  What other books are published by the publisher?  Does the publisher provide services to academia?

BOOK
Examine the book. 
Look for:

  • Preface, Introduction, Table of Contents, Conclusion, Index, and References - most scholarly books will have most, if not all, of these components. 
  • Intended Reader - look for specialized vocabulary and content written for experts or knowledgeable individuals.
  • Graphics, Charts, Illustrations, etc. - many scholarly books will have graphs, charts, and illustrations accompanying the narrative.