Scholarly Resources vs. Popular Resources

 

Scholarly Resources vs. Popular Resources

Scholarly resources are typically made up of research studies and journal articles targeted to help advance knowledge in a particular field. Scholarly sources are not meant to entertain. On the other hand, popular resource are intended to inform or entertain the general public. For example: Local newspaper is a popular material.

Scholarly	Popular
Written by Scholars or Researchers	Written by Journalists & Non - experts
Generally contain few colorful photographs, may have charts and graphs as necessary.	Usually have colorful and attractive appearance.
Presents theory, analysis, application, or practice as a result of original research and experimentation.	Covers general interest topics like current events & popular culture as a result of research & journalistic investigation.
Written for a specialized audience like scholars, researchers and students. Also using vocabulary & language from the discipline.	Written for a general audience at an accessible reading level.
Peer-reviewed or referenced by scholars in a similar or same field.	Reviewed by non-specialized editors or not reviewed.
Formal citations, such as footnotes, a bibliography, or reference page, are usually present.	Formal citations are not usually given. Rarely cites sources.
Publication process take a long time.	Popular sources are published daily, weekly, or monthly; online publications may even update hourly.
Formats – Books & Scholarly Journal Articles	Formats – Magazines, Websites, Newspapers, Blogs