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Subject Guides |
Evaluating Resources |
Scholarly vs. Non-scholarly
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| Evaluating Scholarly Sources |
| It's very important to know where your sources are coming from. Frequently instructors require that some, or all, of your sources be scholarly, academic, or peer-reviewed. There are subtle differences between these three types of publications; here we will focus on the differences between all scholarly, academic, and peer-reviewed journals and popular magazines. |
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Scholarly,
Academic, and
Peer-reviewed Journals |
Popular Magazines,
Newspapers, and
Other Periodicals |
| Style |
Formal, academic language; advanced vocabulary. |
Casual, with simple and straightforward language and vocabulary. |
| Audience |
Academics, scholars, and students; specialists in the field. |
General population; casual readers looking for quick news or entertainment |
| Pictures |
Very few (usually graphs or charts); mostly in black and white |
Colorful images, often photographs, in both articles and ads. |
| Bibliographies |
Long, extensive bibliographies; sources always cited and detailed. |
Often no supporting evidence given; no bibliographies. |
| Authors |
Always identified; usually scholars and experts in the field. |
Sometimes identified; journalists or staff writers, possibly with an area of focus, but no specific area of expertise. |
| Examples |
International Journal of Listening, Journal of American History, Journal of Clinical Child Psychology |
Time, Newsweek, Business Week, Psychology Today, People, Washington Post, New York Times |
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