
Popular sources:
- general interest stories which may refer to research but do not contain original research
- written for the general public by staff writers and journalists
- are not peer-reviewed
- rarely include citations
- tend to be shorter, about 200 words to a few pages
Is it better to use popular sources or scholarly sources?
Both scholarly and popular sources can be appropriate for your research purposes, depending on your research question, but research assignments will often require you to consult primarily with scholarly materials. Other kinds of sources
What is a popular source?
Popular sources tend to be the type of source many of us are most familiar with, including news articles, magazines, and much of the content found on Internet sites. Here is a table describing the difference between popular and scholarly sources.
How do you cite a popular source?
Popular sources are useful for getting ideas for a topic or for background and anecdotal information. Typically, however, you should support your arguments by citing scholarly articles, which contain original research written by experts and do not contain glossy pages or advertisements.
Where can I find scholarly sources for my research?
The Yale library subscribes to several databases that specialize in scholarly sources (such as Academic Search Premier). See Databases for more information. If you use sources for facts or ideas in your writing, some research projects will demand that you rely heavily if not exclusively on scholarly sources.

What are examples of popular sources for research?
Examples include general news, business and entertainment publications such as Time Magazine, Business Weekly, Vanity Fair. Note, special interest publications which are not specifically written for an academic audience are also considered "popular" i.e., National Geographic, Scientific American, Psychology Today.
What does a popular source mean?
Popular sources -- intended for a general audience of readers, they are written typically to entertain, inform, or persuade. Popular sources help you answer who, what, when, and where questions and are essential for finding information about current events or issues.
How do you determine a popular source?
The term “popular”, in terms of sources, typically refers to general interest publications like newspapers and magazines. While not considered scholarly sources, some newspapers and magazines come from respected publications that can be used in certain assignments.
How do you find popular sources for a research paper?
The library's EBSCO and ProQuest databases will search both popular and scholarly articles, and they'll also let you specify what kind of article you need. For example, in ProQuest databases: 1. Click the "Advanced search" link at the top of the page.
What is a popular source example?
Popular (also called non-scholarly) sources inform and entertain the public or allow practitioners to share industry, practice, and production information Examples: Newspapers, magazines, trade journals, popular books.
What is the difference between academic and popular sources?
A scholarly (or academic) resource is one that is written by experts in the field for experts in the field. A popular resource is one that is written for the general public. Your local newspaper is a popular resource. Databases usually have some mechanism to search for only scholarly, or peer reviewed, articles.
What are 5 differences between popular and scholarly sources?
Popular vs. ScholarlyPOPULARSCHOLARLYArticles rarely contain references or footnotes and follow no specific formatWell-researched, documented articles nearly always follow standard format: abstract, introduction, literature review, methodology, results, conclusion, bibliography/references9 more rows•Mar 9, 2022
How do you tell if a source is scholarly or popular?
Use the language of the discipline. Are often refereed or peer reviewed by specialists before being accepted for publication. Include full citations for sources. Book reviews or editorials are not considered scholarly articles, even when found in scholarly journals.
What is the difference between a professional and popular source?
Professional or trade sources are written by and for professionals or practitioners in a particular field or discipline, but are not strictly research related. Popular sources can be written by almost anyone, from freelance journalists to experts, but are always meant to appeal to a general audience.
Why are popular sources useful?
"Scholarly" or "popular" are terms used to describe a source's content, purpose, audience, appearance, citations and more. Popular sources are useful for getting ideas for a topic or for background and anecdotal information.
What is a popular publication source?
Popular Sources Popular information informs and entertains the reader. Magazines like Newsweek and Time, newspapers like the Orlando Sentinel, and books like an unofficial Michael Jackson biography are examples of popular publications. A popular publication will contain language easily understood by a general audience.
Is a website a popular source?
Popular sources are written for a public audience, not necessarily for experts. Popular sources are often written by journalists, though sometimes experts in a particular field will author an article for a popular publication like a newspaper or magazine. We can also consider blog posts, websites (yes, even “.
How do you tell if a source is scholarly or popular?
Use the language of the discipline. Are often refereed or peer reviewed by specialists before being accepted for publication. Include full citations for sources. Book reviews or editorials are not considered scholarly articles, even when found in scholarly journals.
Are popular sources credible?
Popular magazines are not considered to be a very credible source type because there is no peer review, and there are very few citations. However, unlike blogs, published magazines usually do uphold journalistic standards of not publishing lies or slander that could result in litigation.
What are the types of sources?
Types of SourcesScholarly publications (Journals)Popular sources (News and Magazines)Professional/Trade sources.Books / Book Chapters.Conference proceedings.Government Documents.Theses & Dissertations.
Is New York Times a popular source?
The New York Times is one of the most widely read newspapers in the United States and has been a fixture of American print news for over 150 years.
What is a popular source?
Popular sources are useful for getting ideas for a topic or for background and anecdotal information.
How to support your argument?
Typically, however, you should support your arguments by citing scholarly articles, which contain original research written by experts and do not contain glossy pages or advertisements. Ask your instructor if you're unsure about citing a source.
Can you limit your research to scholarly sources?
Many article databases allow you to limit your results to scholarly sources.
What are Scholarly Sources?
Scholarly sources are those that have been approved by a group with recognized expertise in the field under discussion. Books published by University Presses fall into this category, as do articles published in peer-reviewed journals—journals where the editors send pieces out to be read by experts in the field before deciding to publish them. The Yale library subscribes to several databases that specialize in scholarly sources (such as Academic Search Premier). See Databases for more information. If you use sources for facts or ideas in your writing, some research projects will demand that you rely heavily if not exclusively on scholarly sources. Scholarly sources are not infallible, but their publication process includes many steps for verifying facts, for reducing political bias, and for identifying conflicts of interest (for instance, for informing readers when a drug company has funded research on its own product).
Do newspapers have to be scholarly?
Newspapers are not as easy to classify as other sources. Newspapers are not scholarly sources, but some would not properly be termed popular, either. Every source must be questioned for its stake in the material.
Is the Internet more reliable than print?
Finally, it’s worth noting that many Internet sources are less reliable than print sources. Because it’s relatively inexpensive to put material on the Web (when compared to the cost of print publication), it’s easy for private individuals to post their unverified opinions on websites.
Is Discover more authoritative than a general news magazine?
Some magazines—like Discover — are more authoritative than a general news magazine but less authoritative than a scholarly journal. In the sciences, studies done by interested parties would normally not be accepted uncritically (such as pollution studies commissioned by chemical companies).
Is a scholar's source infallible?
Scholarly sources are not infallible, but their publication process includes many steps for verifying facts, for reducing political bias, and for identifying conflicts of interest (for instance, for informing readers when a drug company has funded research on its own product). In a narrow sense, every other source could be called a popular source.
Does Yale have a database?
The Yale library subscribes to several databases that specialize in scholarly sources (such as Academic Search Premier). See Databases for more information. If you use sources for facts or ideas in your writing, some research projects will demand that you rely heavily if not exclusively on scholarly sources.
What type of sources are used in a course assignment?
Many of the assignments for your courses may ask you to use specific sources or types of sources such as popular magazine articles or scholarly or professional journal articles . There are some basic ways that you can identify these types of periodicals.
What is a highly visual article?
Highly visual, a lot of advertising, color, photos, short articles with no bibliographies or references. Visual, contains advertising, color, photos, Little or no advertising, has tables & charts, high concentration of print, lengthy articles, bibliographies & references. Authors.
What is considered a scholarly journal?
Scholarly Journals and Popular Magazines. When doing research, it is useful to know what the different classifications for publications mean. A publication is considered scholarly if it is authored by academics for a target audience that is mainly academic. The intent of the publication must be to report on or support research needs as well as ...
What is the intent of a publication?
The intent of the publication must be to report on or support research needs as well as advance one's knowledge on a topic or theory in one discipline or academic field. The publication will likely be peer reviewed or refereed by external reviewers.
Is a publication peer reviewed?
A publication is considered to be peer-reviewed (or refereed) if its articles go through an official editorial process that involves review and approval by the author's peers (people who are experts in the same subject area.) Most (but not all) scholarly publications are peer reviewed. Some trade publications are actually peer reviewed.
What is scholarly source?
Scholarly sources -- intended for use in support of conducting in-depth research, often containing specialized vocabulary and extensive references to sources. The content has been reviewed by academic peers to ensure the reliability of methods used and the validity of findings.
What are the different types of publications?
There are three types of publications that may appear in the search results of many social and behavioral sciences databases. These are: 1 Scholarly sources -- intended for use in support of conducting in-depth research, often containing specialized vocabulary and extensive references to sources. The content has been reviewed by academic peers to ensure the reliability of methods used and the validity of findings. Scholarly sources help answer the "So What?" question in academic writing and lay the foundation for discovering connections between variables, issues, or events. 2 Popular sources -- intended for a general audience of readers, they are written typically to entertain, inform, or persuade. Popular sources help you answer who, what, when, and where questions and are essential for finding information about current events or issues. Popular sources range from research-oriented [but lacking complete citations to sources] to special interest, agenda-driven publications. 3 Trade publications -- intended to share general news, trends, and opinions among practitioners in a certain industry or profession. Although generally written by experts, they are not considered scholarly because they are not peer-reviewed and do not focus on advancing new knowledge discovery or reporting research results. Trade journals, however, are an essential source of information in the field of business and specialized industries [e.g., tourism, environmental studies, agriculture, manufacturing, etc.].
What is a mix of short and in-depth articles?
Mix of short and in-depth articles on a wide variety of subjects. Industry specific articles of varying length; report news and trends but no original research. Brief articles, unless a featured item; may include original research written in a journalistic, investigative style. Frequency of Publication.
What type of sources do professors require you to include in your research?
Scholarly articles are one of the most common types of sources your professors will require you to include in your research.
What is peer review in research?
A note about "peer review." Peer review insures that the research reported in a journal's article is sound and of high quality. Sometimes the term "refereed" is used instead of peer review.
What is a scholarly book?
In other words, scholarly books are peer reviewed sources. Remember, scholarly books are just one of many kinds of books available through the library. If you are unsure if the book you have found is scholarly ask a librarian or your professor.
What is scholarly article?
Scholarly articles are a great resource for finding in-depth, current information on a topic. Scholarly articles have a more narrow focus than books, so you can try searching for more specific topics. This type of article may also be called peer-reviewed articles, or refereed articles.
What is a scholar's journal?
Scholarly Journal. Reports original research or experimentation. Articles written by an expert in the field for other experts in the field. Articles use specialized jargon of the discipline. Articles undergo peer review process before acceptance for publication in order to assure creative content.
Why are books published?
Scholarly books are published with the goal of contributing to research and knowledge of a subject, and support future research by scholars and students, not necessarily making money.
What is the purpose of an article?
Articles are short and written in simple language with little depth to the content of these articles. The purpose is generally to entertain, not necessarily inform. Information published in popular magazines is often second-or third-hand. The original source of information contained in articles is obscure.
What is tertiary source?
Tertiary Sources refer to encyclopedias, dictionaries, textbooks and other reference materials that provide broad overviews of particular topics. Where secondary sources summarize and interpret an event or phenomenon, tertiary sources summarize and interpret other resources.
What is government publication?
Government Publications are a subset of grey literature, and can be important sources for state, federal, and international perspectives on official government proceedings of all kinds. For more information on the many varieties of government documents, consult the library's Government Information guides.
What are some examples of generalists?
Examples: Journal of Asian History, New England Journal of Medicine, Chemical Reviews, Educational Psychologist ; books from University presses such as Oxford University Press and the University of California Press.
Why is it important to distinguish between popular sources?
Although popular sources are not without merit and may also contain well-considered writing, the purpose of distinguishing between these types of works is to determine their degree of authority and depth of research on a given topic, and thereby their intrinsic academic value.
What is the compilation of resources for research papers?
The compilation of resources for research papers or projects necessarily includes not only books, but also articles from periodicals ( i.e., journals and/or magazines)—vital sources of up-to-date information and scholarship.

What Are Scholarly Sources?
Using Sources as Objects of Analysis
- Any source can be cited if it’s being used as what we might call an “object” source—for instance, if the text is an object of analysis, such as the poem in a literary criticism paper. In these instances, you are not relying on the source for authoritative information about a topic, but are instead investigating the source, itself, and using paraphrase and quotation to argue about the source’s …
Sources of Opinion, Whether Fair Or Biased
- Depending on the research context, you may have sources that are not as reliable as scholarly sources but that still add texture or authority to your argument. In the humanities, for instance, critics’ opinions often demonstrate bias (even celebrate it). But because of their authors’ professional experience, such opinions can be used as ideas to extend your own analysis—or t…