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Still having trouble telling the differences between popular and scholarly articles? Hopefully the following will help:
Your professors will often ask you to use scholarly sources for your assignments. A peer-reviewed article is one example of a scholarly source.
| POPULAR & NEWS | SCHOLARLY | PROFESSIONAL | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Why? | Information and entertainment | Communicate research and scholarship | Professional information (industry/career specific). |
| Who for? | General public | Researchers, professors, students | Professionals in the field |
| Author | Journalists, freelancers. | Researchers, professors | Practitioners on the job (e.g. teachers, counselors) |
| Recognize by... |
* Articles are pretty easy to read * Absence of references * Advertisements * Usually shorter, a few pages |
* Articles are difficult to read * Begin with abstract * Lots of references * Methodology sometimes described * Usually longer, 7+ pages |
* Practitioners views * Industry information * Discuss trends and issues * Advertisements |
| Where will I find it? | Google, Library Databases | Google Scholar, Library Databases | Google, Library Databases |
| Sample Titles |