Scholarly vs. Popular Back | page 3 of 7 | Next

Another dilemma when writing a research paper is determining the difference between popular and scholarly articles. This is an important distinction because the sources you use may help determine the strength of your paper.

Scholarly (or refereed) sources are those that are written by experts in the field that go through a rigorous peer-review process. These sources clearly show their documentation by providing a bibliography of citations or references, and they base their information on in-depth analysis. These articles are generally not accompanied by photographs and the writing is more technical.

Popular sources are those that cover popular topics or are written for the general population. Their language is less technical, and often the articles are accompanied by many pictures to illustrate their point. Also, popular sources may leave out their documentation or references. They often rely on their reputation as proof of authenticity. This does not mean that the information is incorrect, only that it cannot be corroborated.

For Example:

If you are writing a research paper on the methods teachers use to teach children how to read and you need a scholarly resource, The Journal of Educational Psychology may hold good articles.

If you just needed background information on this topic before beginning to write your paper, you might consult an article you saw in Newsweek.

Now that we have covered the different source types, let’s explore which types of sources may be best for your research paper.