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English 1010/1020 Research Guide: Popular vs. scholarly

This guide is intended to help students in ENGL 1010 identify and learn how to get started using library databases for academic research. The library catalog and some of our most popular multidisciplinary databases are covered.

Popular or Scholarly?

Popular v Scholarly Articles

This page is designed to teach the differences between popular and scholarly articles and to give you tips on reading scholarly articles.

Some Points to Remember:

  • Both magazine and journal articles can be good sources for your work. 
  • When selecting articles, think about how you intend to use the information and ALWAYS check your assignment directions carefully to see what types of sources your professor will allow you to use for the assignment! 
    • Do you want background on a topic new to you? (use magazines) 
    • Do you want in-depth information on a topic, or did your teacher say to cite scholarly resources? (use journals)  
  • Often a combination of the two will be most appropriate for undergraduate research.  Even if you don't end up citing them in your paper, popular articles can be a great place to begin exploring a topic.
  • Most library databases will label articles with their source type (magazine, journal, newspaper, book, etc.) to help you determine what type of source you are reading.

Differences Between Popular vs. Scholarly

Popular Articles (Magazines)

  • Are often written by journalists or professional writers for a general audience
  • Use language easily understood by general readers
  • Rarely give full citations for sources
  • Tend to be shorter than journal articles
  • Tend to have more glossy photos than journal articles

Examples of Popular Magazines:

Time Magazine CoverDiscover Magazine coverPsychology Today coverAstronomy Magazine cover

 

Scholarly Articles (Journals)

  • Are written by and for faculty, researchers or scholars (chemists, historians, doctors, artists, etc.)
  • Uses scholarly or technical language
  • Tend to be longer articles about research
  • Include full citations for sources 
  • Are often refereed or peer reviewed (articles are reviewed by an editor and other specialists before being accepted for publication)
  • Book reviews and editorials are NOT considered scholarly articles, even when found in scholarly journals 

 

Examples of Scholarly Journals:

Business History Review coverAJPS journal coverChild Development coverInternational Journal of Middle East Studies cover

 

Reading Scholarly Articles

Reading Scholarly Research Articles

Follow this link to see what a scholarly article typically looks like:

  Time Saving Tip

Don't read scholarly articles straight through from beginning to end!

  1. Read the Abstract.
  2. Read the Introduction.
  3. Read the Conclusion.

stop  Ask yourself:

  • Do I understand this article?
  • Is it relevant to my topic?

No? Find another article! Yes? Start reading the rest.

  1. Read the Results/Discussion - it's more detailed than the conclusion.
  2. Read the Methods - ONLY if you need to critique the study design (usually for advanced students in a discipline)