Scholarly vs. Popular
Is it Scholarly or Popular?
It can be challenging to determine if an article is scholarly or popular. Scholarly materials are those that have been peer reviewed or refereed meaning that an article has been evaluated by other experts in that fields of research to ensure that the research is of high quality.
This chart is designed to help you evaluate the articles you find and plan to use. Remember that this is a guideline and not every article will necessarily match every single criterion. Though you will often be asked to include scholarly materials in your own assignments, some popular materials can also be well-written and informative. Determine the parameters of your assignment and also evaluate your resources. If you are still unsure whether the article you wish to use is scholarly or not, try using Ulrich's Periodical Directory. Instructions are given below. For a pdf version of this chart, click here.
| SCHOLARLY | POPULAR | |||||
| Substantive / General Interest | Trade / Professional | Sensational | ||||
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| LENGTH | Tend to be lengthy e.g. 8 pages or more, in-depth articles | Often moderate to short articles in length | Often moderate to short articles in length | Tend to be short articles | ||
| CONTENT | Tend to report on original research or experimentation, have a narrow focus Format: title, abstract, literature review, methodology, discussion, conclusion, bibliography |
Often more broadly painted topics of cultural, literary or political matters, more detailed and informative than other ‘popular’ press pieces | Information on news, trends, developments and products in an industry or profession, practical aspects of a field | Celebrity gossip, unusual news stories that may lack credibility | ||
| READERSHIP or AUDIENCE | For specialist readers e.g. academics, students, professionals | For an educated audience but non-specialists | For professionals and experts in the field, but may still be informative for those not in the field | For an somewhat gullible audience, lowest common denominator, appeal to superstitions and prejudice | ||
| AUTHOR | By specialists and researchers in a subject area | Staff or freelance writers who may have subject expertise | Often written by professionals in the field, may be staff or contributing authors | Author not necessarily identified | ||
| VOCABULARY | Uses technical, specialized vocabulary and jargon | Avoids specialized vocabulary, may range from fairly formal to more conversational | May include some specialized vocabulary but fairly readable | Often elementary and inflammatory, popular language | ||
| ACCOUNTABILITY | Peer reviewed/referred With significant bibliographies Well-documented and evaluated |
Edited and approved for publication in-house (not peer-reviewed) Sources may be cited, may have short bibliographies |
Edited and approved for publication in-house (not peer-reviewed) Sources may be cited, may have short bibliographies |
Edited and approved for publication in-house (not peer-reviewed) Entirely unsubstantiated |
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| ADVERTISEMENTS | Few or none | Moderate | Moderate (tend to be trade related) | Many | ||
| APPEARANCE | Plain, tend to have black/white graphics, may have charts and figures Page numbers may continue from issue to issue |
Print versions tend to be glossy and in color with photographs and illustrations | Color illustrations, each issue begins with page 1 | Designed to attract customers, often in newspaper format, but in color with many photographs, each issue begins with page 1 | ||
| EXAMPLES | Modern Fiction Studies JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association Journal of Sport and Social Issue |
The Economist New York Times The Atlantic Monthly Sports Illustrated Time Vogue |
Advertising Age American Teacher Publishers Weekly Supermarket New |
National Examiner Star Weekly World News |
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| This chart has been adapted from UC Santa Cruz's web page "Distinguish Between Popular and Scholarly Periodicals". | ||||||
Using Ulrich Periodicals Directory
Ulrich's Periodical Directory lists many periodical titles (e.g. journals and magazines) and indicates if they are refereed or peer-reviewed with the following symbol. 
To determine if the periodical you want to use is scholarly or not, follow these steps.
- Visit Ulrich's Periodical Directory found in the Databases A-Z list.
- Type in the title of the periodical you are evaluating. e.g. Modern Fiction Studies
- Look to the left of the title. If this symbol is present (), then the journal is refereed.