A500.3.4.RB_WrightKyle

As you explore the Hunt Library, reflect on how you might use the Library as a resource for your studies.

What makes a resource "scholarly" in nature?

Peer-Reviewed Journals

When it comes to scholarly journals, the terms peer-reviewed and refereed are interchangeable. Before publication, peer-reviewed/refereed journals go through a highly critical and rigorous review process by other scholars in the author's field or specialty. This review process ensures that the content being published is first being evaluated by the author's peers and also, reflect a solid scholarship in the their fields of study.

Scholarly Journals

Although peer-reviewed journals are always scholarly in nature, scholarly journals are not always peer-reviewed.  Scholarly journals are research focused, reporting results of original research and experimentation. They are heavily cited in the form of either footnotes or bibliographies, and written by, and addressed to, experts in a discipline. However, whereas peer-reviewed journals require a strict "peer-approval" for publishing, a scholarly journal that is not peer-reviewed only requires the approval of an editorial board. (Understanding Peer-Reviewed / Scholarly Journals, 2015)

 

In my exploration of the Hunt Library I decided to see what the Hunt Library had on the subject of scholarly.  What I found was educational for me, although I have used the library many times in my tenure at Embry-Riddle I have never used the guides that I recall, also scholarly articles or journals are research focused and have some type of research to back them up, however when looking for information to base my research and learn on scholarly journals and article are not necessarily the ultimate research data, according to the Hunt Library Peer-Reviewed Journals are scholarly journals that have been reviewed by other experts in that field and are a more reliable the source of information. All peer-reviewed journals are scholarly but not all scholarly journals peer-reviewed.

 

I like the comparison chart from Hunt Library, it illustrates the differences between scholarly journals, trade journals and popular journals in a easy to understand format.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Side-by-Side Comparison

CHARACTERISTICS	Scholarly	Trade	Popular
Comparison
Purpose	To report results of original research and experimentation	To report industry/trade trends, products, and news	To report current events, opinions, and general information
Look	Plain, serious, lengthy articles, may contain charts and graphs to support findings	Glossy, commercial, contains color illustrations/photos, and industry/trade related advertisements	Glossy, attractive, contains color illustrations/photos, and everyday product advertisements
Author	Scholars and experts in field of study/discipline	Industry specialists or staff writers	Journalists/reporters, staff or freelance writers
Audience	Scholars in academic and discipline related fields, researchers, students	Members or those with interest in a particular industry or trade	Anyone
Language	Academic and technical	Jargon of the industry	Non-technical, written in a language for anyone to understand
Documentation	Heavily cited with footnotes or bibliography	Occasionally contain cited sources in the form of footnotes or bibliographies	Sources are rarely cited, although references may be mentioned in text

(Understanding Peer-Reviewed / Scholarly Journals, 2015)


How is the scholarly information you found in the library different from the typical information you find when you Google a leadership concept?

The difference between research information you find on a google search and a scholarly journal would be: Google is not vetted and any can have information posed on a website that Google could pull from, Google is the equivalent of a popular journal, while it may have some useful data and information all the information obtained from these sources need to be validated and vetted against researched and proven data points.  While scholarly journals data is more reliable it still needs to be examined thoroughly I and one way of examining this data is using peer-review sources. One thing I will remember is that even articles and journals that have been scrutinized and vetted through peer-review are still just claims and can only be proven through critical analyses and through research. So think critical!

References

Nosich, G. M. (2011). Learning To Think Things Through: A Guide To Critical Thinking Across The Curriculum (4th ed.). Boston: Pearson HE, Inc.

Understanding Peer-Reviewed / Scholarly Journals. (2015, Jul 30). Retrieved from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University: http://guides.erau.edu/journals

A500.2.3.RB_Wright Kyle

Important Standards in My Life

What are some standards that are most important in your life?

The standards that I consider most important to me are biblical standards which I consider a must for living my life in a manner that is pleasing and acceptable to God. While many Christians might tell you that the Ten Commandments are the most important, I think that if you follow the standards that I have identified below you will find that you have lived up to the standards of the Ten Commandments: "love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (LifeChurch.tv, 2008, p. Matthew 22:37) "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her," (LifeChurch.tv, 2008, p. Ephesians 5:25)"honor your father and mother," (LifeChurch.tv, 2008, p. Ephesians 6:2), and "fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training of the Lord." (LifeChurch.tv, 2008, p. Ephesians 6:4)  While I believe these standards of living are important I would be lying if I told you that I didn't struggle with them. One in particular that I struggle with on a daily basis is the "love your neighbor as yourself"

 

In other words these standards are goals that i strive to achieve, but the struggle is real and the standard is difficult for me. The first standard, love the Lord, means following His commandments, loving your neighbor means putting others needs ahead of my own, loving my wife means putting her wellbeing above that of my own, while honoring my parents means respecting them and regard their guidance, which seems to have become easier over the years, and the final standard I have listed, fathers do not provoke your children, challenges me to raise my kids in the way I believe they some go but also reminds me not to be overly harsh on them.

 

For example love is the center of most of my standards, and while it is easy to say you love someone, true love is giving of yourself and putting the needs and desires of your loved ones ahead of your own.  Because true love is not jealous, it is not haughty, nor is it selfish, it does for others best it wants to, not because of what it will get in return.

 

It is like that little puppy who love his master, he will love you and follow you around just to be near you, he is not concerned with what you are going to do for him he just wants to be near you.  We often call it puppy love but this is the purest form of love no expectations just a desire to please, he doesn't care what you are wearing, he doesn't even care if you brush your teeth he just wants to be with you.

 

How did you acquire those standards?

While I was obviously not born with these standards these are standards my father and mother trained me in as a young laid.  I can remember my father honoring his parents even as an adult and how he loved and treated others around him, he taught me the value of treating others with love and respect.  He also set the example of how to love and respect my future spouse and while my father died many years before I was grown and married I can still remember that example as if it were yesterday.

 

How have they changed over the years?  

One proverb that was used in my house growing up was do unto others as you would have them do unto you, and while I thought for years this was the ultimate way to treat people my commander a few years ago taught me a new level of this rule, that is treat others as they would like to be treated.  So yes a few of my standards have changed and matured over the years but the basic concept is still the same, love others.

References

LifeChurch.tv. (2008). You Version Bible.

A500.1.5.RB_WrightKyle

Intellectual Perseverance

            This is the first blog I have ever posted so bear with me as I learn to accomplish this feat, I guess you could say this is going to take some perseverance although I am not sure you could necessarily call it intellectual perseverance.  According to Foundations for Critical Thinking

Intellectual Perseverance: Having a consciousness of the need to use intellectual insights and truths in spite of difficulties, obstacles, and frustrations; firm adherence to rational principles despite the irrational opposition of others; a sense of the need to struggle with confusion and unsettled questions over an extended period of time to achieve deeper understanding or insight. (Valuable Intellectual Virtues, 2014)

            In my opinion intellectual perseverance is having the intestinal fortitude to reason things through in a logical manner in search of true and correct thinking when others around you doubt or even discount your thought processes.   It can be as simple as continuing to study a belief or concept that other do not understand and question you on, or to the extent that others disagree with your way of think and therefore openly reject your studies and seek to discredit your theories.  Another form of intellectual perseverance is the determination to withstand the internal forces that would cause us settle for less than true and correct logic.  While the external resistance is easily identifiable the internal conflict maybe the greatest hurtle to overcome in the search for logical answers.

            For example Columbus had a theory that the earth was round, and despite the fierce external opposition he continued to develop the idea that the earth was round. He eventually succeeded in  convincing Spain to sponsor a trip to prove the contour of the earth, however, we now know that despite his theory being correct his proof was lacking because he never made it completely around the earth as he thought he had.  So we could say that despite Columbus's perseverance in the argument for the contour of the earth, that his confirmation did not persist.

            Intellectual perseverance like running a marathon, you know that it a long distance and you know you will have to overcome obstacles but if you keep your mind's eye focused on the goal you will eventually triumph over the resistance and achieve victory.  What will surprise you the most when you finally cross the finish line is that you achieved more in the journey and all its obstacles than you did from the finish line.  The same can be said about the intellectual perseverance or the thoughtful continuation despite resistance you will gain more from the process of continued thought than you will from achieving your logical goal, that is why it is true that we learn more from failure than we do from success.

References

Nosich, G. M. (2012). Learning To Think Things Through: A Guide To Critical Thinking Across The Curriculum. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.

Valuable Intellectual Virtues. (2014, September). Retrieved August 15, 2015, from Foundation For Critical Thinking: www.criticalthinking.org