For some of your research assignments you may be expected to use scholarly resources. This could mean academic or scholarly books, or scholarly journal articles. Sometimes you may be asked to use scholarly peer-reviewed articles.

Peer review is a process in which other scholars in the research area read and review an article to verify credibility before the article is published. Not all journals go through the peer review process.

Watch the video below to learn more about popular sources, scholarly sources and the peer review process. 

Popular, Scholarly and Peer Reviewed Sources - Transcript 

 

 Differences Between Popular & Scholarly Sources

To make sure you are choosing the best resources for your assignment you must understand how to tell if a source is popular or scholarly. The chart below illustrates some of the key differences between popular and scholarly sources.

Popular and Scholarly Sources

Popular

Scholarly

Author

  • Journalists or professional writers
  • Staff writer or freelance writer
  • Articles are often unsigned
  • Scholars, faculty members, researchers, or professionals in the field
  • Author is usually an expert
  • Credentials and contact information listed

Language

  • Can be understood by the average reader
  • Use discipline-specific vocabulary or professional terms and language

Audience

  • General public
  • Other scholars or professionals

Length

  • Shorter
  • Longer

Coverage

  • Provides a broad overview of issues of interest to the general public
  • Rarely provides full citations for sources
  • In-depth and detailed coverage
  • Includes many references and citations

Appearance

  • Photos and other images often support the text
  • Advertisements
  • Mostly text
  • Images that support the text are often charts or tables
  • Few colour photos if any

 

 Test Your Knowledge: Scholarly vs Popular 

 

 


Creative Commons License Ontario Tech University Library
Except where otherwise noted, the content on this page is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License