scholarly consensus

Meaning

Scholarly consensus refers to the collective agreement, shared opinion, and judgment of a community of scholars or experts in a particular field of study. It does not imply complete unanimity, but rather that the vast majority of qualified researchers agree on a specific theory, fact, or interpretation.

Examples

• There is a strong scholarly consensus that greenhouse gas emissions are the primary driver of modern climate change.

  There is a strong scholarly consensus that greenhouse gas emissions are the primary driver of modern climate change.

• Despite some fringe theories, the scholarly consensus supports the view that the document is authentic.

  Despite some fringe theories, the scholarly consensus supports the view that the document is authentic.

• The textbook reflects the current scholarly consensus on the causes of the fall of the Roman Empire.

  The textbook reflects the current scholarly consensus on the causes of the fall of the Roman Empire.

• When writing a literature review, it is important to identify where the scholarly consensus lies.

  When writing a literature review, it is important to identify where the scholarly consensus lies.

• New archaeological discoveries have challenged the long-standing scholarly consensus about early human migration.

  New archaeological discoveries have challenged the long-standing scholarly consensus about early human migration.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ The scholars reached a scholarly consensus after a long debate.

  ✓ The scholars reached a consensus after a long debate.

  'Scholarly consensus' is a noun phrase describing the state of agreement within a field. When active agents (scholars) are reaching an agreement, you simply say they 'reached a consensus' or 'reached agreement' to avoid redundancy.

• ✗ The scholarly consensus of the public is that taxes are too high.

  ✓ The general consensus of the public is that taxes are too high.

  'Scholarly' specifically refers to academic experts, researchers, and professors. It cannot be used to describe the opinion of the general public.

Related Expressions

Practice

• Although some outliers disagree, the ___ is that this treatment is safe and effective.

  💡 The collective agreement among academic experts.

  Show answer

  scholarly consensus

• To write a credible paper, you must align your arguments with the existing ___.

  💡 The majority opinion among researchers in a field.

  Show answer

  scholarly consensus