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You are likely very familiar with popular sources, which are intended for a general audience, such as newspapers, magazines, and most websites. In comparison, scholarly sources are intended for an academic audience, such as professors, researchers, and college students, and they can take the form of journal articles, books, and book chapters. Trade publications are written for professionals in a specific field and are more focused than popular sources, but they are not scholarly.
Depending on your research topic and the requirements of your assignment, you may be able to use both scholarly and non-scholarly sources. Since non-scholarly sources are not subject to the same level of review before publication as scholarly sources, be sure to evaluate them before incorporating them in your project.
The UW-Green Bay Library databases include articles from several types of sources. This table can help you understand the different types of articles by comparing their characteristics.
Scholarly Journals | Trade Publications | Magazines | Newspapers | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Scholarly |
Yes | No | No | No |
Purpose |
To advance knowledge in a field of study, often in the form of original research or analysis | To discusses current trends, news and products in a specific field | To inform, entertain, or persuade on a variety of topics | To inform, entertain, or persuade regarding news and current events |
Format |
Lengthy articles with abstracts, methods, results, conclusions, and bibliography | Medium-length articles | Short and sometimes medium-length articles | Short articles |
Authors |
Scholars, professors, or researchers in the field | Staff, scholars, professionals in the field, or freelance writers with subject expertise | Publication's staff or freelance writers | Publication's staff, newswires, freelance writers, or syndicated columnists |
Language |
Terminology and jargon of the field | Appropriate for an educated readership | Generally simple language | Generally simple language |
Audience |
Scholars, professors, researchers, college students | Professionals in a particular industry | General public | General public |
Graphics |
Graphics, charts, and photographs included to convey information | Photographs, illustrations, charts, and tables; may be informative or decorative | Photographs, illustrations, drawings, charts and advertisements | Photographs, illustrations, drawings, and charts, and advertisements |
Sources |
Always include in-text citations with reference lists at the end | Occasional short reference lists | Rarely lists sources; information often comes from interviews | Rarely lists sources; information often comes from interviews |
Examples |
Nature, The New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of Communication, Computers & Education | Adweek, Social Work Today, Minority Nurse, Industrial Engineer | Time, Newsweek, Sports Illustrated, Popular Science | New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Green Bay Press-Gazette |
Read about the characteristics common to scholarly articles and check out corresponding examples. Remember that not all scholarly articles are peer-reviewed.
The purpose of a scholarly article is generally to advance knowledge in a field of study, often in the form of original research or analysis. Look for a statement indicating that the authors conducted original research or analysis.
Scholarly articles are generally at least 5 pages long.
They often include an abstract, which summarizes the contents of the article.
They are usually divided into sections and include headings such as literature review, methodology, results, and conclusion.
Authors of scholarly articles are experts in their fields. Their names are usually listed with their credentials (i.e., institutional affiliations and/or degrees)
Scholarly articles are text-heavy and use formal language.
They may include tables, charts, and/or graphs that convey information.
Scholarly articles include in-text citations.
They always include either extensive footnotes and/ or a list of sources at the end of the article, often called works cited, reference list, or bibliography.
Read about the characteristics common to scholarly books and check out corresponding examples:
The purpose of a scholarly book is to advance knowledge in a field of study, often in the form of original research or analysis. Look for indications that the authors conducted original research or analysis.
Many scholarly books have an index at the end of the book.
Authors of scholarly books are experts in their fields. Sometimes an institution and credentials are listed next to an author’s name. Look also for a “Contributors” section of an edited book (i.e., a book with individually authored chapters).
Scholarly books are often published by a university press or academic publisher (e.g., Harvard University Press, Oxford University Press, Routledge, Blackwell). You can find the publisher for a book on its title page or copyright page.
Scholarly books are text-heavy and use formal language.
They may include tables, charts, and/or graphs that convey information.
Scholarly books often include citations in the text (e.g., footnotes or endnotes).
They almost always include a list of sources, often called works cited, references list, or bibliography. Look for it at the end of the book or at the end of each chapter.
It's important to remember the distinction between scholarly and peer-reviewed: peer-review is a formal process in which works are evaluated by fellow experts in a field prior to publication. Not all scholarly articles have gone through the peer-review process!
There are a few approaches to determining whether an article was peer-reviewed:
Finally, remember that not every article in a peer-reviewed journal went through the peer-review process. Book reviews, editorials, and other short features are generally not peer-reviewed and not considered scholarly.
The examples shown on this page are from:
Buechley, E. R. & Şekercioğlu, C. H. (2016). The avian scavenger crisis: Looming extinctions, trophic cascades, and loss of critical ecosystem functions. Biological Conservation, 198, 220-228. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2016.04.001
Lepczyk, C. A., & Warren, P. S. (Eds.). (2012). Urban bird ecology and conservation. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com