Scholarly vs. Popular: What's the difference?
A scholarly or academic resources is one that was written by experts in the field for researchers or other experts. Scholarly resources are for doing the research to support the points you are making in your paper.
A popular resource is one that was written for the general public. Popular resources can be useful when trying to think of ideas for your topic or when gathering background information.
Here are some ways you can tell the difference:
| Scholarly or Academic |
Popular |
- Has a narrow scope or is limited to a specific field of study; goal is to promote and disseminate scholarly research
|
- Designed for a broad, general audience; primary goal is to make a profit
|
- Intended for academic or specialized audiences such as professors, researchers, students
|
- Does not require expertise in the field to understand the information; designed for the general population
|
|
|
- Has pictures and media included
|
- Has references, bibliographies, notes and/or works cited included
|
- May have verified facts, but does not include references or bibliographies
|
- Has little or no advertising; included advertising promotes books, journals, conferences
|
|
- Has an author and author affiliations; authors are experts in their respective field
|
- May or may not have an author listed; authors are generalists, journalists, or freelance writers
|
- Published by a scholarly press or professional organization
|
- Published by a for-profit entity
|
- Editorial board of scholars in the field who review articles prior to publication in a process known as refereed or peer-review
|
- Editor is a journalist who works for the publisher
|