Scholarly Versus to Popular Resources
|
Scholarly/Peer Reviewed Journal Article |
Popular Magazine Article |
|
Author is expert on topic or scholar |
Author may be a lay reporter (non-professional) |
|
Includes sources: footnotes and bibliography |
Sources may not be cited formally |
|
Vocabulary is complex and technical |
Vocabulary is familiar, non-technical |
|
Graphics used to illustrate a point |
Graphics used for visual impact |
|
Published monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or annually |
Published weekly or monthly |
|
Published in an academic journal |
Published in a popular, general interest, or news magazine |
|
Research-based |
Report events or findings of others |
For more help understanding the difference between scholarly and non-scholarly articles,
visit https://www.lib.ncsu.edu/videos/anatomy-scholarly-article
Evaluating Sources
- USC Library Lessons: Evaluating Sources
An interactive, Storyline based tutorial on evaluating information
Things to Consider When Evaluating Sources
Things to Consider:
Who is the author?
What is the intended purpose?
Who is the audience?
Bias? For profit or personal gain?
Overall credibility?
Instead of searching for the words “pro/con,” try:
analysis
opinion
commentary
"public opinion"
evaluation
surveys
"political aspects"
speech
opponents
proponents