Scholarly sources of information are commonly required by instructors for use in assignments. Scholarly sources usually contain quality, specialized information and original research. While scholarly periodicals (also called journals) are a common format to reference, scholarly sources can come in a variety of formats, including:
|
Characteristics |
Scholarly |
Trade |
Popular |
| Authors/Contributors | Experts in a particular subject of study, like a Ph.D., researcher, or other scholar with educational credentials | Professionals or experts in the field | Journalists who are not necessarily experts in a specific subject area |
| Citations/Sources | Always present, with footnotes and/or a bibliography | Sometimes present, depends on the publication | Rarely present |
| Review Process | Peer review or refereed process wherein other scholars evaluate the content, format, grammar, and language | Review by editorial staff, including for grammar and language, sometimes a peer review process is used depending on the publication | Reviewed by editorial staff, including for grammar and language |
|
Content |
Original research, review of books relevant to scholars in the discipline |
Practical information for professionals, including news and trends |
Brief articles on a variety of general interest topics like sports, fashion, art, etc. |
|
Language |
Very technical, it is usually assumed that the reader is familiar with such language |
Generally straightforward language, but may include technical jargon |
Simple language accessible to any reader |
|
Purpose |
To make information available to the rest of the scholarly world and to make theoretical and practical advancements in their field |
To report on trends in the profession and provide practical advice to other professionals |
To entertain, share news, promote a viewpoint, or sell a product |
|
Visual Appearance |
Few frills (like pictures or glossy pages), articles may include graphs or tables, no ads |
In between scholarly and popular, with some visual frills, and ads are usually related to the profession |
Bright and attention-grabbing, including pictures, graphics, and various ads |
|
Examples |
New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, American Journal of Nursing |
Social Work Practice, Professional Nurse, Medscape |
Rolling Stone, Readers Digest, Sports Illustrated, Vogue |
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