While many of our library databases allow you to filter your search results to scholarly articles, it is still helpful to know the differences between popular and scholarly sources to ensure that you are fulfilling your assignment requirements. Some of the main distinctions between the two types of sources are listed below.
Scholarly sources
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Authors: professors, researchers, experts
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Audience: academic (scholars, researchers, students)
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Language: formal, specialized vocabulary
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Layout: mostly text, graphics used just to display data and findings
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Length: long
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Research: often reports original research
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Citations: extensive citations and bibliography
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Examples: Journal of the American Medical Association, Nature, Annual Review of Psychology, books or ebooks published by university presses
Popular sources
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Authors: professional writers and journalists
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Audience: general public
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Language: informal, often simple
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Layout: often includes images, ads, and other visual elements
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Length: short
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Research: usually only briefly summarizes research
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Citations: rarely cites sources
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Examples: The New York Times, Time magazine, Wikipedia, books and ebooks published by popular presses (e.g. Random House, Penguin)