7 Popular and Scholarly Sources
Introducing Popular and Scholarly Sources
First, let’s cover two major source categories: popular and scholarly sources. For an overview, please watch the video tutorial below (time: 4:48):
Definition Recap
A popular source aims to inform, entertain, or persuade the general public. Most popular source creators are not scholarly experts on the topic in question.
A scholarly source is written by an academic expert to communicate original research or other academic discourse with other scholars.
Examples (SKIM)
Quickly skim these examples of a popular and scholarly source about the same topic: cats!
Popular Source Example
Veltman, C. (2024, July 5). Cats on leashes…yes, it’s a thing. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2024/07/05/nx-s1-5021910/outdoor-cat-walk-leash
Scholarly Source Example
Ceccheti, M., Crowley, S.L., Wilson-Aggarwal, J., Nelli, L., & McDonald, R.A. (2022). Spatial behavior of domestic cats and the effects of outdoor access restrictions and interventions to reduce predation of wildlife. Conservation Science & Practice, 4(2), e597. https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.597 (you may need to copy and paste this link into a new tab in your browser)
Fun fact: this academic article is open access (OA) which means you can access it for free without an UMSL login.
Popular & Scholarly Sources: Review Table
| Popular Sources | Scholarly Sources | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | To entertain, inform, or persuade the general public | To communicate academic research and ideas |
| Audience | The general public (non-experts, beginners) | Other academics |
| Content | News, personal opinions or information, entry-level information, entertainment, etc. | Academic research or formal discourse |
| Length | Typically shorter | Typically longer |
| Citations | Few to none | Typically many |
| Peer Review | Not peer-reviewed. Some may go through a different editorial process. | Many articles are peer-reviewed. |
| Examples | News articles, social media posts, most videos, most websites, magazine articles, popular books | Scholarly journal articles and scholarly books |
Key Takeaway
