Ask a librarian: Library

Popular articles are written for a general audience and are often short in length. When you think of a popular source, think of magazines and newspapers; they are written for the general public and use very plain, easy-to-understand language.

Examples of popular resources are magazines such as Business Week, Time, Vogue, and many other magazines you might see at the grocery store or book store. In addition, newspapers such as Dallas Morning News and Tyler Morning Telegraph are popular resources.

Scholarly (also known as peer-reviewed) articles are written for university and research-oriented audiences. When you think of a scholarly source, think of academic journals; they are written for scientists, researchers, professors, students, and others in the academic and research community. The language used is highly scientific and technical in nature and will include a long list of references at the end.

Examples of scholarly resources are journals such as Academy of Management Review, American Journal of Public Health, Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, and Social Science and Medicine.