eNotes on the Web

Can eNotes answers be classified as "scholarly sources?"

This is a fascinating question.  As an institution, the academy and education, in general, always endures a type of time lag between innovations and how they will be appropriated into the learning setting.  This is probably where enotes would fall.  I think that the answer to this is that the use of enotes is what will determine if its use can constitute being considered as a "scholarly source."  Certainly, I think that the summaries written by editors and posted can be cited.  There are citation reference points at each summary and work sample.  I think that you can cite this as a "scholarly source."  Where the issue gets dicey is the posting of questions and discussion forums on enotes.  I certainly believe that there are scholarship qualities to these elements.  Much of this is going to be dependent on how the academy views collaborative internet resources such as enotes.  This is where challenges arise with interpretation.  Some in the academy and learning institutions will argue that there is much in way of scholarship in these forums, while others might point to the lack of a limiting function as to defining "scholarship" in these realms.  Obviously, checking with your instructor about whether or not they consider enotes to be a "scholarly source" would be one way to obtain some clarification.  The larger issue is going to be how the academy will come to some consensus on online collaboration and being able to cite it as "scholarship."

Particularly because part of this question reflects on my own answers to questions or discussions, it is a very interesting one.

I would hesitate to call much of what I answer "scholarly."  Particularly when questions are about literature or other things that I have studied in the course of my schooling or that I study now as part of my work as a teacher, perhaps they would count as "scholarly," but as the previous poster pointed out, most of the time people expect anything labeled that way to have come from someone with a Phd.

I suppose it has a great deal to do with the barriers to entry to these discussions.  They certainly aren't as high as those most institutions have for granting someone a doctoral degree, but the managing staff here obviously expects a level of scholarship and knowledge in the editors they choose and the work they accept so perhaps it is just a matter of time and it will be accepted.

So the short answer: perhaps not yet.

Since eNotes is a collection of editors and experts, pre-approved through an editing and qualification process, I believe it can be considered a scholarly source.  As with any research you do online or in text form, you need to consider the source for each answer and whether or not it appears most credible for your work.  For example, while I have a Master's Degree and a well-rounded education, many science and math questions I am not qualified to answer.  Another way to cite eNotes is to cite the individual responders as experts, based on their profile qualifications.  MLA and other source citation formats provide a way to do this.

Interesting, thoughtful responses about the idea and evolution of "scholarship." I think the question asker in this instance, though, is using the word scholarly as a rough synonym for reputable. If that is the case, then eNotes certainly qualifies as an excellent and trustworthy source of information, particularly when compared to conventional Q&A forums that have little to no moderation. Answers at eNotes are provided by working or retired educators who have taught these texts in their classrooms. Each answer is reviewed by a staff of editors, and the community itself is excellent at providing feedback and correcting any errors that might slip in. Students who use the Q&A forums here can rest easy that the information provided is indeed "scholarly" in the important sense of being "trustworthy."

Because none of the credentials of any of the editors on eNotes have been credibly verified, technically speaking, no, nothing on this website could be sourced as a scholarly source.  eNotes is as much a "source" as wikipedia is, and I would personally dock marks to any student that tried to source wikipedia.  Though many on here do indeed have heavy educational backgrounds, there is no way to verify where the information is indeed coming from.

It is very easy for me to tell you I have a B.Eng in Aerospace Engineering, and am in the process of doing a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience, but all you have are my words, and in the scholastic field, that isn't enough.

The best scholarly sources are peer reviewed journals and research papers, not Internet forums.

Were eNotes to verify the editors credentials from the academic institutions themselves, that would be a completely different situation.  Also, were an editor to provide links in their profile to their actual publications, then a student could source the publications themselves - but not an Internet forum.

But, that is all technically speaking.  Whether or not you could cite eNotes in your bibliography is not related to whether or not you can trust the information given here.  While it is inappropriate to source an answer given here in an academic work, that isn't to say the answers given here aren't credible.  I believe that they are, and that eNotes is a very valuable source of information for students who are looking for some help, and teachers who are looking for some other ideas they may not have come up with themselves for classes.

In reply to #6:

All good points. Peer-reviewed journals, however, rarely have the resources to verify credentials (e.g., a journal's staff will not personally contact a university to verify that an author's listed degrees have actually been awarded). An academic journal is considered peer reviewed because a group of "peers"--other English professors, for example--are reviewing, critiquing, and vetting each author's work. That is very much what do here at eNotes as well: each editorial candidate must submit sample answers that are reviewed by a staff member (all former instructors). If the candidate is accepted into the program, each future answer is reviewed as well. Now, we of course are going to make some mistakes and let an error or less-than-perfect response slip through: that is the price of processing a large amount of real-time content. But we strive to maintain a standard in this new medium that would make traditional academia proud.

The editors on this site are put through quite a thorough review before they are able to answer questions for students and teachers alike. While some editors are arguably more professional in their answers and their discussion posts than others, in general, the responses the asker receives are from professionals in the field, and therefore can be considered "scholarly".  If the asker has reservations about the credentials of the person or people who have responded to a particular question, the asker can always visit the profile page of the responding editor to see where his or her expertise lies and what sort of degrees he/she holds.

This site, in my humble opinion, is head and shoulders above Wikipedia which allows anyone (without a review process or any kind) post answers to its site.

In reply to #8: I disagree quite a bit that the selection process for editors is extensive.  It is based solely on the word of the editor, no actual verification takes place, which is fine, but don't confuse an application stating what you've done, and a few answers to some questions as "scholarly."

Wikipedia indeed has a review process, a peer review process, which can be exceptionally intensive.  People can be quite scrutinizing when it comes to knowledge.  That said, anyone who sources wikipedia in a thesis is going to fail their dissertation.

The question isn't about factual, or valuable, it's about scholarly, there is nothing scholarly about an Internet forum where a person's identity is mostly hidden.

I have come to appreciate the contributors on eNotes as experts in the field of teaching.  I think without a doubt, the majority of the editors on this site take the profession very seriously - and consider more than just our initial reaction or first thoughts when approaching questions.

That said, I'm not sure that as a teacher I would allow students to use eNotes as a source for a research paper.  I've had students attempt to quote me (from informal interviews) in their senior graduation project papers.  My direct response was, "You can't use THAT!  What do I know?!  I'm just a teacher!"  (Hah.)  I guess my thought from a requirement perspective, is that the line is blurry when it comes to internet sources.  But then again, I don't allow interviews as sources either, for the same reason.

If your question is concerning direct quotes from eNotes - I might consider this a secondary source.  While many of us could certainly be considered "experts" most of us haven't worked extensively in the area of research and publication.  That is usually my line when requiring "scholarly sources" for research papers.  It would also depend on the topic of the paper and the way this information was presented.

I have a feeling this line will only become more blurry with the advancement of communication and technology.  Definitely check with your teacher on this one.