Below are some identifying features of popular and scholarly periodicals. Note that sources occur on a popular/scholarly continuum. Some sources are clearly popular or scholarly while others have mixed features. Determining a source's popular or scholarly orientation will help you evaluate its appropriateness for your research purpose. For example, using some popular sources may work for an introductory undergraduate project, while all scholarly sources may be required for more advanced work, especially in a student's major field of study.
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Popular Periodicals--Magazines |
Scholarly Periodicals---Academic Journals |
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Written by journalists |
Written by experts in their field |
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Reviewed by an editorial staff |
Often reviewed by peers within the discipline |
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Purpose to inform, persuade, or entertain |
Purpose to present research findings, in-depth studies |
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General audience |
More educated or professional audience |
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Language aimed at a general audience |
May use vocabulary specific to the field |
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Tone varies (serious, humorous, satirical, etc.) |
Tone serious |
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No bibliography or works cited |
Bibliography or works cited for articles |
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Contain many photographs, illustrations, drawings |
Few graphics, many charts and graphs |
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Extensive advertising |
Selective advertising |
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Articles usually short (1-5 pages) |
Articles usually longer |
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Examples: Time, Cosmopolitan, New Republic |
Examples: Journal of Psychology, Comparative Literature, Journal of Political Marketing |
Scholarly sources take an academic approach to a subject; their purpose is usually to inform and they are intended for an educated audience.
Some books are more scholarly than others. For example, a ghost-written autobiography of a current celebrity is less scholarly than a carefully researched and annotated biography of a historical figure.
At times instructors or employers may stress the use of scholarly sources for your research project. You may decide to seek out scholarly sources for a complex or in-depth research project or for a project where you already know a lot about the topic.
The following elements indicate a scholarly orientation for a book:
For more information on different source types and on using the criteria of currency, relevance, authority, accuracy, and purpose to evaluate sources consult the Information Evaluation pages of Briggs Library's Research 101 guide.
Certain journals publish peer-reviewed articles. Before the editors of the journal publish an article they send the article out to scholars in the subject area for review. The scholars examine the article to make sure it reflects solid research in the field. If these reviewers have reservations about the article the journal may not publish the article or may require the author to make changes. This thorough editorial process results in highly-regarded scholarship.
Note that the terms refereed and vetted are also used to describe articles that have undergone this process.
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