Evaluating Sources

Scholarly Sources

Popular Sources

• Written by scholars/experts in the field.
• Author will usually have a high level of education (PhD) in a relevant subject area.

• Written by journalists or professional writers.
• Authors typically don't have a high level of education (PhD) in the subject area, but may have experience writing about a topic.

• Articles written for other scholars/experts to read.
• Because articles are written for experts to read, authors will make an assumption that their reader already knows background information about a topic.

• Articles written for people who are not considered an expert on a topic.
• Articles are written using simpler language that everyday people would understand.

• Articles go through rigorous peer-review process before they are published.
• Peer-review means other experts will review an article before it gets published to make sure it meets the journal's standards, uses credible sources, and contributes new information to the field.

• While articles will get edited for grammar and writing, they do not go through the peer-review process before getting published.

• Articles are published in academic journals.

• Articles are published in magazines or newspapers.

• Scholarly sources typically cite other scholarly sources in their Works Cited page.

• Popular sources may not always include a Works Cited page. If they do, they often will not be citing academic sources.

• Use scholarly sources when you need information from an academic perspective on a topic. 

• Use popular sources when you are doing research on current events or when you want to do some background reading on a topic.