Scholarly journals have collections of articles written by experts in academic or professional fields to keep others interested in that field, up-to-date on the most recent research, findings, and news. These articles are reviewed by a journal editorial board or experts in the specific discipline (peer-reviewed).
Popular Sources are articles, blog posts, and news feeds that are written primarily by journalists to inform the general public about interesting and newsworthy events. These articles may or may not be subject to a review process and should be heavily evaluated before use. Popular articles are not peer-reviewed.
|
Scholarly |
Popular |
Who is the Author? |
Researchers, Scholars and Professors |
Primarily journalists |
Who is the targeted audience? |
Students, scholars, and researchers |
The general public |
What is the purpose of the article? |
To advance understanding in a field of study |
To inform the public and sell newspapers/magazines |
Are there citations? |
Always |
Not often |
Are there ads? |
Rarely |
Most of the time |
Are current events covered? |
No - the peer review process takes time |
Yes |
Examples |
Policy and Society |
The Nation, National Review |
PAIS -- Public Affairs Information Service; Available in Waterfield Library Reference Room. Covers 1915-2000.
CQ Almanac -- Congressional Quarterly Almanac; reference room north wall. Call number JK1 .C66. Congressional statistics, bills, speeches, etc from 1945-present.
PAIS and CQ Almanac are located on the Second Floor (Main Level) of the Waterfield Library in the Reference Area. PAIS on the last shelf past the Government Document section on the right, facing the windows. CQ Almanac is on the third shelf, facing the study tables.
The Times (London) is the world's oldest continuously published newspaper. Readers — world leaders and the general public — have consistently turned to The Times for its in‐depth news coverage, parliamentary reports and comment, editorial opinion and unique view of history from the major reporters and editors of the period. The Times Digital Archive covers years 1785–2012.