Sources can also be categorized by their intended audience.
Popular sources such as magazines and newspapers are written for the general public. Examples: People, Prevention, Discover, Rolling Stone, Sports Illustrated, National Geographic, Popular Mechanics, Omaha World-Herald, New York Times.
Scholarly sources such as scholarly journals are meant for scholars or professionals in a specific field. Scholarly journal articles are written by researchers or scholars to share new knowledge and further understanding in their field of study. Examples: American Journal of Botany, Critical Perspectives on Accounting, College English, Journal of Applied Philosophy, Nebraska Law Review, New England Journal of Medicine.
Popular sources help you build an understanding of a topic.
Scholarly sources help you develop an academic argument for your research.
Understanding the characteristics and differences between scholarly journals and popular magazines will help you evaluate and select the best information source.
Scholarly Journals vs Popular Magazines created by Pao Yue-kong Library, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license.
| Scholarly Journals | Popular Magazines | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Contains reviews of important research and findings on a specific topic Support your arguments/ideas laid out in your research/assignment Therefore, they are credible resources for your scholarly research/assignment |
Mostly for entertainment & popular culture Use in your research or assignment if: they are accepted by your professor or instructor you need the most up-to-date factual information in your research |
| Content | In-depth research or current development of a very specific topic Research findings with data or statistics |
Broad overview of topics – both general and complex Up-to-date information on general interest topic or event |
| Appearance | Lengthy articles with graphs/charts, usually structured with abstract, literature review, methodology, results and conclusion | Short articles designed in attractive layout with colorful photos and advertisement, which do not have a specific format or structure |
| Author | Scholars/Researchers/Experts write in technical and/or academic language | Journalists/Writers/Non-specialists write in common language |
| Audience | Scholars/Researchers/Students to communicate findings and advancement in research |
General Public to entertain or inform about general events or topics |
| Reviewer | Usually peer-reviewed by experts before published | Usually editors/publish review and decide what gets printed |
| Citation | Citations and bibliographies are provided: to give credit to the original authors to prove ideas are well-supported |
Citations are seldom included because: the sources used are usually anonymous |