InfoSkills for Economics and Management

Scholarly communication

Academics share their theories and research findings with the academic community in various ways – for example, through informal conversations with colleagues, conference presentations, social media posts, and by publishing on blogs or in popular media outlets.

However, the most important way researchers communicate their work to others is through publishing journal articles (often called "papers") and books. Journal articles, in particular, are a key form of academic writing.

That said – academic fields differ as to the importance that is attached to articles and books. For example, in the humanities (language and literature, philosophy, history, theology) relatively more books are published than in other fields.

Characteristics of scholarly sources

To search effectively for sources for a writing assignment, it’s important to be able to quickly recognize scholarly publications. Watch for these key features:

• Authors: Written by academics who are experts in the subject, scholarly sources, include the authors’ names, along with their credentials, degrees, and affiliations, typically with universities or research institutions.
• Language: Complex vocabulary or specialized terminology aimed at fellow scholars in the field, rather than the general public.

• Citation: Scholarly sources provide citations that reference the original sources of information and ideas the author has used to support their argument. Watch this 2:00-minute video to learn more about the purposes of source citation in science.

  Preferred citation styles at Tilburg University
  The most commonly used citation style at TiU is APA, developed by the American Psychological Association (APA). The university library has created APA manuals in Dutch and English for students.

  Students in the School of Humanities and Digital Sciences may be required to use the Chicago NB citation style, which is also followed by the Tilburg School of Theology. Law students enrolled in Rechtswetenschappen are expected to use the "Leidraad voor juridische auteurs," which is available through the library catalog.