Skip to Main Content

Information Literacy Tutorial for the Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Scholarly vs. Trade vs. Popular Articles

Scholarly vs. Trade vs. Popular Articles

Popular v Scholarly

Popular vs. Scholarly Literature “Scholarly and “popular” are terms used to describe a source’s content, purpose, audience and more. Popular sources are useful for getting ideas for a topic or for background and anecdotal information. Typically, however, you should support your arguments by citing scholarly articles, which contain original research written by experts. Popular: General interest stories and opinion pieces Easily understood language Not peer-reviewed Rarely give bibliographic citations Not structured format Examples include time Magazine, Discover, U. S. News, the Boston Globe, the New York times, USA Today. Secondary sources usually fall into this category. Scholarly: Original research and inquiry Scholarly or technical language Often peer-reviewed Includes full citations for sources Structured format Examples include Blood, American Journal of Psychology, American Journal of Economics and Sociology, and the Journal of Finance. Primary sources usually fall into this category.

Primary v Secondary Research

Primary versus Secondary Research Research is conducted and submitted for publication Primary source Published peer-reviewed articles Structured format may include: Abstract Introduction Materials and methods Results Discussion Cited references Literature cited Which is Reported in the news or Literature review Secondary source Newspapers Magazines Published articles – review article New York Times logo USA Today logo Time Magazine cover thumbnail