Sometimes faculty and librarians define these terms differently, and sometimes definitions vary between disciplines, which leads to confusion. Below are how the MVCC librarians understand each term. If you use the term differently, specifically defining the term in your written assignment will help librarians better assist your students.
Scholarly source
To librarians, this means original research published in a peer-reviewed academic journal. We use it as a synonym for an academic journal article or peer-reviewed source. These articles are written by experts in the field for an audience of other experts. First-year college students typically do not yet have the background necessary to synthesize information from these articles unassisted. This type of source rarely contains any of the background information that underclassmen need.
Credible source
Librarians define that as a source which has been investigated through lateral reading, and additionally meets standards of currency, relevance to the research need, authority, accuracy, and purpose. This could be a scholarly source, a government website, a news article from a reputable publication, or a book, depending on the topic at hand. Students frequently need guidance in determining the credibly of their sources.
Library Databases
Databases change names frequently. The library also changes which databases we subscribe to frequently due to cost, usage and availability. If you wish students to use a specific database, check the library's database list each semester to make sure the database is still available and still has the same name in the library's database list. Explaining why you require or encourage particular resources will assist your students in developing their information literacy skills, and help the librarian in the event we need to find substitute materials.
Primary/Secondary Source
Librarians helping your student will assume that "primary source" means "a first-hand account or original record or object." Secondary sources will be analyses, summaries, accounts, etc. that are based upon primary sources, produced by people who were not present. These are also what students will learn in their gen. ed. history courses. If you use them differently, be clear in your instructions what you mean, and explain the difference in terminology to your students.
