When a scholar’s work is so thorough, credible, and relevant that it becomes the model framework for other researchers working in that field to use, the scholar has typically met their ultimate goal. As a top model for their subject area, the scholar has made a social or academic impact so great that others aspire to meet or exceed that level.

Having these credible models when you’re a researcher is important for many reasons. The models create a framework of guidelines to follow and base your theories or practices on, and add legitimacy to your own work when you can show that your ideas and thoughts were backed up by those of the top models.

But there must be a way to show researcher credibility through an unbiased source, and that’s when a third-party evaluator or peer review is used. The third-party will use those top models to evaluate the scholar’s work, determine legitimacy and relevance, and help drive the impact of the scholar’s work overall.

What Constitutes a Legitimate Scholarly Article?

To be considered a scholarly article, there are certain factors that must be included in the work. These sources are interchangeable with terms like “academic,” or “peer-reviewed.” Another common source of valid information is the “refereed” article. All of these terms refer to a legitimate source that readers can turn to for credible information, knowing that they have passed the test and contain accurate and relevant information.

These sources are always found in one of three categories: journals, books, or online. Each of these categories looks a little different and has its own set of pros and cons:

●      Journals - These publications contain articles that include a full set of the author’s credentials to prove to the reader that the scholar(s) publishing the work are considered to be experts in the field in which the research pertains. It also clarifies that they’re unbiased and that those included in the funding of the work are also unbiased and credible. These credentials include other publications by all authors cited to use as cross-referencing of validating the author or continuing further research.

●      Books - It’s much easier to get a book published today than ever before, so scholars must watch for credibility before using a source. As with a journal, check the author’s expertise through the biography, verify that these credentials are legitimate, and then move on to doing the same with the publisher. Make sure the book is published by a university, professional association, government department, or another trustworthy publishing source. It’s the scholar’s responsibility to perform due diligence before using a source as a top model.

●      Online sources - As with books, online sources require major due diligence by the scholar before accepting an article as a top model. Verify the author’s credibility and the publishing site’s legitimacy. Check the URL for an .edu (educational), .gov or .mil (government) or .org (non-profit) domains.  These are usually more trustworthy sites.

Once you find the top model for your research project, you can use it to help your work gain credibility.

Evaluating Your Work

The evaluation process for a scholar’s research to be considered legitimate is often based on the top model you chose. If the work appears to be parallel and follow’s the ideas of the model, is correlated by them, or is able to refute them, you are on the path to a credible peer review.

These factors, along with the transparency of your research process, come together to determine the overall trustworthiness of your work. If it’s innovative enough, and credible enough, your work may even become a top model for other scholars to use with confidence!

Impactio Can Help You Create Top Model Articles

Your work is impactful, and you want to get it published and out to those who it can help as soon as possible. Part of this is creating a professional submission that looks impressive and contains your content clearly. That’s why many experts turn to Impactio before they submit their work.

Impactio is an all-in-one platform where scholars can import their text, create professional subsections and headers, and turn data into powerful charts, graphs, and tables. When you want your work to be the next top model source, start by using Impactio to publish your findings!