Your instructor may ask you to use only scholarly resources for your paper. What's the difference between a scholarly or non-scholarly resource?
Scholarly sources include books and articles published in scholarly journals, encyclopedias, and books. These sources are reviewed by a panel of experts in that particular field, and are often published by a professional association or a university press. These experts ensure the information published is credible before accepting it for publication. Peer-reviewed sources go through the most rigorous examination and are considered highest standard. 90% of articles submitted for the peer-review process to a journal are rejected. Often, the accepted articles are sent back to the authors for further information/editing before those articles are finally published.
Non-Scholarly sources include websites, magazines, newspapers, and books that undergo no expert review prior to publishing.
Different types of publications have different purposes and different audiences. When we talk about journals, we can usually divide these publications into three broad categories: scholarly, popular, and trade publications.
| Scholarly Journals | Popular Journals | Trade Journals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Informs and reports on original research done by scholars and experts in the field. | Entertains and informs a general audience without providing in-depth analysis. | Reports on industry trends and new products or techniques useful to people in a trade or business. |
| Authors | Articles are written by subject specialists and experts in the field. | Articles are written by journalists, freelance writers, or an editorial staff. | Articles are written by specialists in a certain field or industry. |
| Audience | Intended for a limited audience - researchers, scholars, and experts. | Intended for a broad segment of the population, appealing to non-specialists. | Intended for practititioners in a particular profession, business, or industry. |
Can you identify which articles are popular and which are scholarly?
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