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Evaluating Sources

Scholarly vs Popular

 

Scholarly

Popular (Magazines)

Purpose

Report results of research

Report current events

Entertainment

Summarize research of general interest

Audience

Scholars, researchers and students in a particular field of study

General population

Authors

Researchers, Experts in field

Named

Credentials given

Journalists

Often unnamed

Credentials not given

Characteristics

Long articles (5+ pages)

No advertisements

Citations

Technical or specialized language

Peer reviewed

 

Short articles

Pictures and advertisements

No citations

Every day language

Not peer reviewed

What is a Scholarly Article?

A fun video that walks you through the parts of a scholarly article.

Peer Reviewed?

An article is considered scholarly or peer-reviewed if it appears in a journal that requires a pre-publication review of its articles.  The article is read and edited by a group of subject experts who check accuracy. The articles published must meet certain standards for that particular field.  

In a NUTSHELL - It doesn't get published until EXPERTS in the field say its okay.

Peer Review in 3 Minutes

In 3 minutes, viewers of this video will become familiar with the peer-review process and understand its significance to new knowledge production and scholarly research. From NC State Libraries.