The SoTL should not be confused with other forms of scholarship, such as discovery, integration, or application. While many SoTL inquiries may be classified within the definitions of these other forms, the SoTL distinguishes itself with its adherence only to identified core aspects of scholarship, which can be seen across all forms of scholarship.

Common Dimensions of Scholarship (Glassick, Huber, & Maeroff, 1997, p. 25)

1. Clear Goals
2. Adequate Preparation
3. Appropriate Methods
4. Significant [important/valuable] Results
5. Effective Presentation
6. Reflective Critique

Scholarship is an expectation when conducting a SoTL inquiry, however, there is a great deal of personalization allowed within this type of inquiry given the nature of self-study and practical application of learning within each faculty member's unique context. SoTL inquiries exist on a vast continuum and may include activities such as:

• investigating a single act of practice within a classroom (Hutchings, 2000);
• exploring key issues within larger contexts (Nelson, 2003);
• engaging in formal research (Nelson, 2003); and/or
• participating in the formulation of new frameworks and theory (Hutchings, 2000).

Each faculty member decides upon the scope of inquiry based on personal context. What is of most value is the authenticity with which the faculty member has identified a "problem of practice worth pursuing" (Bass, 1999) through a systemic inquiry focused on improving student learning. Regardless of selected scope, the inquiry of practice will be focused on, "...paying close attention to [your] students' learning, reflecting on [your] own contributions to that learning, and making [your] thoughts and [your] work visible to others" (Bernstein, 2010, p.1).

A wide variety of methodologies, approaches, and ways of sharing conclusions (Bass, 1999; Bernstein, 2010; Nelson, 2003; Hutchings, 2000) are accepted within the SoTL. The decision to use discipline-specific methodologies is not surprising (Bass, 1999; Bernstein, 2010; Hutchings, 2000; Potter & Kustra, 2011) as faculty bring their expertise as scholars to an inquiry into their own teaching practice and student learning. However, experimenting with  unfamiliar methodologies is encouraged as "there is power in methodological conversation and collaboration across fields, as faculty borrow approaches and perspectives from colleagues in other areas" (Hutchings, 2000). For the SoTL, what is valued methodologically is alignment to inquiry goals in relationships to the problem or question(s) being addressed by the faculty within the inquiry.

In SoTL inquiry, the object of analysis is teaching and learning (Potter & Kustra). It is an inquiry conducted with a "transformational agenda" (Hutchings, 2000) where changes to both teacher practice and student learning are expected outcomes from the process. The majority of the time, SoTL inquiry is a reflective self-examination into instructional practice(s) by seeking answers to questions about "what works" or "what is" (Hutchings, 2000, p. 4). However, SoTL inquiries may also be driven by a desired future vision of the possible (Shulman) and also includes work towards developing new "conceptual frameworks for shaping thought about practice" (Hutchings, 2000, p. 5). A SoTL inquiry should utilize practical practices (Bernstein, 2010; Hutchings, 2000; Nelson, 2003) with practical significance directly informing teaching practice (Mettetal, 2001).