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Tutorials & Guides : Scholarly Versus Popular Articles


Characteristics

Scholarly

Popular

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

Archives of General Psychiatry cover Psychiatry Today cover

Publication Title

 Often includes the words "academic" or "journal" Often includes the word "magazine"

Author

 Named scholars who are authorities in their field Unnamed, anonymous, or staff writers

Review Policy

 Articles are usually peer-reviewed or refereed (evaluated by experts in the field before accepted for publication) Not peer-reviewed or refereed

Article Length

 Usually longer articles (5+ pages) Usually shorter articles (1-2 pages)

Purpose & Audience

 Written to relay research to other scholars in the field Written about current or general interest items for a broad audience

Advertisements

 Few, if any Numerous

Graphics

 Often include graphs, charts, or tables Colorful photographs or illustrations

Credits

 Contain references, citations, or footnotes Lack specific references, citations, or footnotes

Note: Some article databases, such as EBSCO and ProQuest databases, allow you to select "scholarly" or “peer-reviewed” as a search feature. The search results might also display in tabs for "scholarly" and "consumer."
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