Skip to Main Content
Popular vs. Scholarly Sources
Scholarly Sources
- Is a publication, such as a journal, that includes papers and articles, which record and discuss the results of original research
- Is Written by and for faculty, researchers or scholars (physicists, historians, economists, psychologists, etc.)
- Uses scholarly or technical language
- Usually contains longer articles about research
- Includes full citations for sources
- Qualifications/credentials of the author(s) are given in the paper
- Are often refereed or peer reviewed
Popular Sources
- Is a publication, such as a newspaper or magazine that you could buy in a grocery store
- Is often illustrated with pictures and advertisements
- Is many times written by journalists or professional writers for a general audience
- Uses language that is easily understood by general readers and is written for the public
- Rarely gives full citations for sources, though sources may be quoted
- Is usually shorter than journal articles
