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
Authors: professors, researchers, experts
Audience: academic (scholars, researchers, students)
Language: formal, specialized vocabulary
Layout: mostly text, graphics used just to display data and findings
Length: long
Research: often reports original research
Citations: extensive citations and bibliography
Examples: Journal of the American Medical Association, Nature, Annual Review of Psychology, books or ebooks published by university presses
Popular sources
Authors: professional writers and journalists
Audience: general public
Language: informal, often simple
Layout: often includes images, ads, and other visual elements
Length: short
Research: usually only briefly summarizes research
Citations: rarely cites sources
Examples: The New York Times, Time magazine, Wikipedia, books and ebooks published by popular presses (e.g. Random House, Penguin)