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.
| Scholarly | Popular | |
|---|---|---|
| Authors: | Experts such as scientists, faculty, and historians | Generalists, including bloggers, staff writers, and journalists; not always attributed |
| Examples: | Journal of Asian History, New England Journal of Medicine, Chemical Reviews, Educational Psychologist; books from University presses such as Oxford University Press and the University of California Press | Wikipedia, CNN.com, About.com; People Magazine, USA Today; bestselling books; books from popular publishers like Penguin and Random House |
| Focus: | Specific and in-depth | Broad overviews |
| Language: | Dense; includes academic jargon | Easier to read; defines specialized terms |
| Format: | Almost always include: abstracts, literature reviews, methodologies, results, and conclusions | Varies |
| Citations: | Include bibliographies, citations, and footnotes that follow a particular academic style guide | No formal citations included; may or may not informally attribute sources in text |
| Before publication: | Evaluated by peers (other scholars) | Edited by in-house editors or not edited at all |
| Audience: | Specialists in the subject area: students, professors and the author's peers | General readers; shouldn't require any special background |
| Design: | Mostly text, with some tables and charts; very little photography; no advertising | Glossy images, attractive design; photo illustrations and advertising are more common |
| Purpose: | Communicating research findings; education; | Entertainment; news |