Ask the Library

Find what you need in our searchable FAQ.

How can I tell the difference between a popular and scholarly article?

499 views | 0 0 | Last updated on Nov 29, 2016

This chart will help you determine if you have a scholarly or popular article. Still have questions? Contact your liaison librarian or libhelp@brocku.ca.


	Scholarly	Popular
Content	Original research; can also include editorials, book reviews, letters to the editor and review articles.	General interest stories
Purpose	Report research results and share professional knowledge.	News, entertainment, advertising.
Audience	Academic, professional, experts in a particular field.	General Public.
Language	Scholarly language or technical jargon.	General language easily understood by readers.
Author	Experts in their given fields, credentials and university affiliation are often provided.	Journalists of professional writers (non-experts). sometimes no author or credentials are given.
Peer Review	Articles are evaluated by specialists in the field for validity. Caution: does not apply to editorials or letters to the editor sections of scholarly journals.	No.
References / Bibliography	Yes. Other sources are cited in the text and full citations are given in footnotes or a bibliography.	No. May refer to other sources but rarely give full citations; bibliographies are not included.
Images	May contain tables, diagrams, or charts; photography is rare except in art, architecture or archeology.	Often illustrated in colour.
Advertisements	Rarely.	Multiple advertisements per issue are often included.
Length	Longer articles, although length varies; typically 5-30 pages.	Short, although length varies, typically 200 words to a few pagers.