Is an Article Scholarly or Popular?

What Features Do They Have in Common? Both scholarly and popular articles are found in publications known as ‘periodicals’ They have this name because they are usually published at regular intervals (i.e. within a specified period of time) They are bound together (or published online) with articles from other authors and relate to specific topic or field of study

Here are examples of covers of popular vs. scholarly periodicals Popular MagazinesScholarly Journals What Differences Can You Observe in Their Appearance?

Features of Popular (Magazine or Newspaper) Articles A colorful presentation or advertisements Written by journalists, professional writers or staff writers for general audiences (in print or online) Little jargon or technical language Shorter articles than in professional journals Rarely include full citations to sources

Features of Scholarly Articles Published in professional, research, or academic journals (either in print or online) Rarely with colorful presentation or ads Written by and for faculty, researchers, and scholars in a particular field of study; they often are affiliated with a research or academic institution Formal, technical, or scientific language or jargon

More Features of Scholarly Articles Results of a research project or study (often including methods and data) Refereed or peer-reviewed (articles are evaluated by an editor and other specialists in a field before being accepted for publication) Often lengthy listings of sources with full citations

Are all scholarly articles peer-reviewed? Not necessarily! There are many examples of high- quality articles in professional journals which are not peer-reviewed

Examples of Non-Peer Reviewed Publications Proceedings of conferences, working papers, bulletins and news publications of an organization Trade Journals—authors may be experts in a field but the articles usually are not peer-reviewed Some examples are: – Accounting Education News – Community College Week – Chemical Business – Bulletin of the AAUP (American Association of University Professors) – Bulletin of Mathematical Biology

Other Non-Peer Reviewed Articles Book Reviews Editorials Letters to the Editor Even though these types of articles often appear in scholarly journals, they are not peer-reviewed

How Do You find Scholarly Articles? Individual articles may be available through public search engines like Yahoo or Google, HOWEVER-- The access provided by a college library or other institution is essential for finding large collections of articles online

Indexes/Databases list screen shot On the Library’s Home page (library.ccp.edu), click on Indexes and Databaseslibrary.ccp.edu

Scroll down the alphabetical list of databases and click on EBSCOhost

Select a database or database group; for example: Academic Search Complete

Enter your search terms and limits on the search screen to find scholarly articles

Other Considerations Both magazine and journal articles can be good sources for your work When selecting articles, think about how you intend to use the information: – Do you want background on a topic new to you? (use magazines) – Did your teacher say to cite scholarly resources? (use academic journals) Often a combination of the two will be most effective for undergraduate research

Online Resources For additional information, consult the CCP Library Guides for: – EBSCOHost – Citing Sources – Is a Publication Scholarly? These and other guides are available under at:

Research Assistance Professional librarians are available to work with you during regular library hours: call: or use Meebo (live text chat—during regular library hours) Attend a Walk-in session for a one-on-one tutorial Use the Ask-a–Librarian Service (after hours to your question) -OR- For more information, see the Library Services module

CREDITS Portions of this presentation were adapted from: University of Arizona Library, Popular vs. Scholarly Articles Guide ( e.html) e.html Vanderbilt University Scholarly vs. Popular tutorial [ lyfree/ lyfree/ California State University, Fullerton, Guide on using historical sources, ( utorial1/u4t1p4scholarly.htm) utorial1/u4t1p4scholarly.htm