It's likely that you will be asked by your instructors to use scholarly sources to do some of your assignments. A scholarly sources differs from a popular source. Review the following chart to learn about their differences.
Popular Sources |
Scholarly Sources |
|---|---|
|
For general public
|
Written by experts for experts in the field |
|
Broad range of topics
|
Focused, specialized topic |
|
Short articles
|
Lengthy research articles |
|
Not peer-reviewed
|
Peer-reviewed |
| Sources not always cited | Extensive list of sources cited as references |
|
Designed to appeal visually; usually supported by photographs or illustrations and possibly advertisements |
Standard scholarly formatting; may be supported with graphs or tables |
|
Purpose is to entertain, promote a point of view, or sell products |
Purpose is to present the findings of research |
| Examples: Newsweek, Rolling Stone, Vogue |
Examples: New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of Public Health Policy |
Source: UC Santa Cruz University Library
Source: Zachary Sharrow | Andrews Library, The College of Wooster