When determining whether a book is scholarly consider:
- Publisher: Check the publisher's website. Is the publisher a University Press (e.g. Oxford University Press, Indiana University Press)? Does the publisher specialize in this academic field? Do they indicate their editorial policy?
- Bias: Does the publisher have a religious or political affiliation? Consider how this affiliation might affect the scholarship and/or content of the book.
- Authority: Who is the author? Do they have credentials that give them authority on the subject? Are they recognized by other scholars in the field? (If there isn't adequate information on the author in the book itself, often you can Google the author's name to determine their credentials.)
- Cited Sources: Scholarly books have cited references or a bibliography. Most books written for general audiences will not. Consider the quality of the sources: look for inclusion of journal articles, primary sources, and other scholarly books by experts in the field.
- Content: Consider accuracy, bias, audience appropriateness, graphics/charts/illustrations. Look for books that have clear structure and organization, such as a preface, introduction, table of contents, conclusion, and index.
Still not sure? Look for book reviews of the book and see what reviewers say about its content.
