Scholarly vs. Popular Journals
| SCHOLARLY JOURNAL Article | POPULAR MAGAZINE Article |
|---|---|
| Published in an academic journal, described also as refereed or peer-reviewed | Published in a popular, general interest, or news magazine |
| Author is expert on topic or scholar | Author may be lay reporter |
| Specialized audience of peers or students | Audience includes general public |
| Goal is to inform or present research | Goal is often to entertain or persuade |
| Research-based | Report events or findings of others |
| 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 |
| Titles may include the words Journal, Review, or Annals; and/or refer to a field of study. Examples: Anthropology & Education Quarterly, Journal of Higher Education | Titles often general, usually catchier. Examples: People Weekly, Newsweek |
| Published monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or annually | Published weekly or monthly |
Often your professor will tell you to choose only "scholarly" or "peer-reviewed" article resources when you do research for a paper. This table shows some key contrasts between scholarly and popular resources. Many of the Libraries' article citation databases include an option to search only scholarly, but not all do, so this table should come in handy.
Secondary sources
In general, secondary sources are accounts written after the fact with the benefit of hindsight. They are interpretations and evaluations of primary sources.
In other words, it tells you what someone now thinks about something that happened some time ago, when the writer wasn't there him- or herself. For example, if someone asks each of you how the Summer Bridge program went, and then writes up an evaluation based on your answers, that's a secondary source.
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