| Scholarly | Popular | |
|---|---|---|
| Authors: | Experts such as scientists, faculty, and historians |
Generalists, including bloggers, staff writers, and journalists; not always attributed
|
| Examples: | The Library Quarterly, New England Journal of Medicine, Nineteenth Century Literature, and books from university presses such as Oxford University Press. |
Wikipedia, CNN.com, About.com; People Magazine, USA Today; bestselling books; books from popular publishers like Penguin and Random House
|
| Focus: | Specific and in-depth |
Broad overviews
|
| Language: | Dense; includes academic jargon |
Easier to read; defines specialized terms
|
| Format: | Almost always include: abstracts, literature reviews, methodologies, results, and conclusions |
Varies
|
| Citations: | Include bibliographies, citations, and footnotes that follow a particular academic style guide |
No formal citations included; may or may not informally attribute sources in text
|
| Before publication: | Evaluated by peers (other scholars) |
Edited by in-house editors or not edited at all
|
| Audience: | Specialists in the subject area: students, professors and the author's peers |
General readers; shouldn't require any special background
|
| Design: | Mostly text, with some tables and charts; very little photography; no advertising |
Glossy images, attractive design; photo illustrations and advertising are more common
|
| Purpose: |
communicating research findings; education |
entertainment; news
|
Entirety of chart comes from Berkeley Library.
Berkeley Library. (2021 Feb 16). Evaluating resources: Scholarly & popular sources. University of California. https://guides.lib.berkeley.edu/c.php?g=83917&p=3747680
