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What is the difference between scholarly and popular sources?

Scholarly sources such as journals, academic books, and dissertations, undergo a formal evaluation process before publication. This helps to ensure high-quality information and accuracy of results. They are written by experts in a particular field or discipline and their purpose is to advance the ongoing body of work within their discipline. Note that scholarly sources are not always peer-reviewed. Characteristics of scholarly studies:

  • Reference/bibliographic list
  • Defined research question(s)
  • Qualitative, quantitative, or mixed research method
  • Sample(s) gathered from population
  • Uses measurement instrument to gather data
  • Literature review
  • Inferences made from findings
  • Usually more than a single author
  • Scholarly, academic language
  • High page count
  • Tables and figures of findings

Popular sources such as magazines and newspapers do not typically go through the same review process as scholarly resources; in many cases, popular resources are reviewed by a single editor, who may or may not have expertise in the subject area. Popular resources are usually written for a broad audience and do not always use the same, formal language as authors of academic articles. Characteristics of popular source articles:

  • Uses short sentences and simple language
  • Author reports information from interviews or second-hand sources
  • Sometimes the author is not listed or qualifications are not indicated
  • Bibliography or references are usually not included
  • Usually illustrated with colorful photographs

For additional information, please see our Academic and Popular Resources guide and our Scholarly vs. Peer Reviewed FAQ.

The following video from Vanderbilt University reviews the differences between scholarly and popular periodicals.




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