What makes a book scholarly?
What is a scholarly book?
Not all books are scholarly. Scholarly books are written by experts and intended for an academic audience. They present research, analysis, or in-depth discussion of a subject, and they are usually published by academic presses.
Signs of a scholarly book:
- Author credentials: The author is a researcher or academic with expertise in the field.
- Publisher: Published by a university press (e.g., Oxford University Press, University of Toronto Press) or another recognized academic publisher.
- References: Includes citations, footnotes, and a bibliography.
- Audience: Written for researchers, students, or professionals—not the general public.
- Structure: May be a single-author monograph, or a collection of chapters edited by scholars in the field.
