Scholarly Versus Popular Information
In general, scholarly articles are viewed as having more authority.
Scholarly articles
-
are written by experts in a field
-
are reviewed and evaluated by other experts or peers (peer review)
-
represent the results of scholarly research
Articles from the popular press are viewed as having less credibility.
Popular articles
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are written by authors who may have no expertise in a particular field
-
are not reviewed or evaluated by experts in that field
-
may represent a less expert point of view
-
are published more quickly
When you view full text articles online you need to make a distinction
between scholarly and popular material. Listed in the tables below are
some criteria which may help you identify whether an article is from the
scholarly or popular press.
|
Scholarly Publication:
Books and journals, print and online |
Popular Publication:
Books, magazines and newspapers, print and online |
|
|
|
| Author |
Is a noted professional or expert |
Is a journalist, student, popular author; or may not be
listed |
| Advertising |
Very little or highly specialized |
Significant amount |
| Audience |
Advanced reading level; may have specialized vocabulary |
Basic reading level for a general audience |
| Indexing |
Articles are listed in specialized indexes; for example
PsycINFO, Biosis or Humanities Index |
Articles are listed in general indexes; for example Reader's
Guide or Periodicals Index |
| Purpose |
Discusses a specific scholarly field |
Current events, general interest items |
| Review Policy |
Articles are reviewed by peers; editorial board composed
of scholars in the field |
Editor or editorial board are members of the magazine's
staff |
| Sources |
A list of references is included at the end of each article |
Articles rarely include references |
|
|
|
Tip: There are reference books which attempt to describe and evaluate
magazines and journals. If you need further information about a
title, you may want to consult:
Katz, William A. and Katz, Linda Sternberg (2000). Magazines for libraries:
for the general reader and school, junior college, college, university,
and public libraries (10th ed). New York:Bowker.
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|
