Scholarly vs Popular
What is a Scholarly Article?
An important part of gathering and evaluating sources for research projects is knowing the difference between Popular, Scholarly, and Trade publications. ​Some professors may require that you use scholarly, peer-reviewed sources.
- Popular magazine - contain articles that are typically written by journalists to entertain or inform a general audience. The magazines are usually glossy, larger in size, and contain many photos and ads.
- Scholarly (peer-reviewed) journals - contain in-depth articles on original research written by researchers or experts in a particular field. They use specialized vocabulary, have extensive citations, charts and tables, and are often peer-reviewed by experts in the field. Scholarly journals are usually smaller and thicker with plain covers and images.
Properties of Scholarly, Popular, and Trade Publications
The table below shows which characteristics are more commonly associated with scholarly or popular sources. Both scholarly and popular sources can be appropriate for your research purposes, depending on your research question, but research assignments will often require you to consult primarily with scholarly materials.
| Popular Magazines | Scholarly (including peer-reviewed) | |
|---|---|---|
| Content |
Includes current events; general interest articles for a broad readership |
Geared toward scholars, researchers, and professionals. Research results/reports; reviews of research (review articles); book reviews |
| Purpose | To inform, entertain, or elicit an emotional response | To share research or scholarship with the academic community |
| Author | Staff writers, journalists, freelancers | Scholars, researchers |
| Audience | General public | Scholars, researchers, college students at all levels |
| Review | Editor | Editorial board made up of other scholars and researchers. Some articles are peer-reviewed |
| Citations | May not have citations, or may be informal (ex. according to... or links) | Bibliographies, references, endnotes, footnotes |
| Frequency | Weekly/monthly | Quarterly or semi-annually |
| Ads* | Numerous ads for a variety of products | Minimal, usually only for scholarly products like books |
| Examples | Time;Sports Illustrated | Water and Environment Journal; Developmental Psychology; American Literature |
*Ads will not be visible when viewing articles through a library database