Identifying Source Types

Popular and scholarly sources are broad categories with many sub-types! Some aspects that can help us distinguish between source types are:

• Location: where sources like this are published
• Purpose: why the source was written
• Use: how you might potentially use the source in an academic argument
• Authority: how this source derives its credibility
• Timeline: when this source was created in relation to an event or research study

Let’s examine different source types, keeping these aspects in mind.