Popular vs. Scholarly Articles
When looking for articles to use in your assignment, you should realize that there is a difference between "popular" and "scholarly" articles.
Popularsources, such as newspapers and magazines, are written by journalists or others for general readers(for example,Time, Rolling Stone,andNational Geographic).
Scholarlysources arewritten for the academic community, including experts and students, on topics that are typically footnoted and based on research (for example,American LiteratureorNew England Review).Scholarly journals are sometimes referred to as "peer-reviewed," "refereed" or "academic."
How doyou find scholarly or "peer-reviewed" journal articles?
The option to selectscholarly or peer-reviewed articlesis typically available on the search page of each database.Just check the box or select the option.You can also search Ulrich's Periodical Directoryto see if the journal is Refereed / Peer-reviewed.
Popular Sources (Magazines & Newspapers)
Informand entertain the general public.
- Are often written by journalists or professional writers for a general audience
- Use language easily understood by general readers
- Rarely give full citations for sources
- Written for the general public
- Tend to be shorter than journal articles
Scholarly or Academic Sources (Journals &Scholarly Books)
Disseminate research and academic discussion among professionals in a discipline.
- Are written by and for faculty, researchers or scholars (chemists, historians, doctors, artists, etc.)
- Uses scholarly or technical language
- Tend to be longer articles about research
- Include full citations for sources
- Are often refereed or peer reviewed (articles are reviewed by an editor and other specialists before being accepted for publication)
- Publications may include book reviews and editorials which are not considered scholarly articles
Trade Publications
Neither scholarly or popular sources, but could be a combination of both. Allows practitioners in specific industries to share market and production information that improves their businesses.
- Not peer reviewed. Usually writtenby people in the field or with subject expertise
- Shorter articles that are practical
- Provides information about current events and trends
What mightyou find in a scholarly article?
- Title:what the article is about
- Authors and affiliations:the writer of the articleand the professional affiliations. The credentials may appear below the name or in a footnote.
- Abstract: brief summary of the article. Gives you a general understandingbefore you read the whole thing.
- Introduction: general overview of the research topic or problem
- Literature Review: what others have found on the same topic
- Methods:information about how the authors conducted their research
- Results: key findings of the author's research
- Discussion/Conclusion: summary of the results or findings
- References: Citations to publications by other authors mentioned in the article
Anatomy of a Scholarly Article
This tutorial from the NCSU Libraries provides an interactive module for learning about the unique structure and elements of many scholarly articles.
Practice identifying whether a source is scholarly, popular, or a trade source.
