Chapter
“Popular” vs. “Scholarly” Sources
Research-based writing assignments in college will often require that you use scholarly sources in the essay. Different from the types of articles found in newspapers or general-interest magazines, scholarly sources have a few distinguishing characteristics.
| Popular Source | Scholarly Source | |
|---|---|---|
| Intended Audience | Broad: readers are not expected to know much about the topic already | Narrow: readers are expected to be familiar with the topic beforehand |
| Author | Journalist: may have a broad area of specialization (war correspondent, media critic) | Subject Matter Expert: often has a degree in the subject and/or extensive experience on the topic |
| Research | Includes quotes from interviews. No bibliography. | Includes summaries, paraphrases, and quotations from previous writing done on the subject. Footnotes and citations. Ends with a bibliography. |
| Publication Standards | Article is reviewed by an editor and proofreader | Article has gone through a peer-review process, where experts in the field have given input before publication |
Where to Find Scholarly Sources
The first step in finding scholarly resources is to look in the right place. Sites like Google, Yahoo, and Wikipedia may be good for popular sources, but if you want something you can cite in a scholarly paper, you will usually need to find it in a scholarly database.
Two common scholarly databases are Academic Search Premier and ProQuest, though many others focus on specific topics. Your school library pays to subscribe to these databases, making them available for you to use as a student.
You have another incredible resource at your fingertips: your college’s librarians! For help locating resources, you will find that librarians are extremely knowledgeable and may help you uncover sources you would never have found on your own—maybe your school has a microfilm collection, an extensive genealogy database, or access to another library’s catalog. You will not know unless you utilize the valuable skills available to you, so be sure to find out how to get in touch with a research librarian for support!
LICENSE AND ATTRIBUTION
Adapted from Lumen Learning’s “Intermediate Research Strategies” from English Composition II used according to CC BY 4.0.