1.6: Popular, Professional, and Scholarly Sources
- Page ID
- 289694
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[Magazine Lot by Mauricio Santos, licensed under the Unsplash License]
When researching, it’s helpful to know the differences between popular, professional, and scholarly sources of information. Each type is created for a different audience and purpose, so understanding these differences can help you choose the right sources for your needs.
Popular Sources
Popular sources are designed for the general public and are often meant to entertain, inform, or give a broad overview of a topic. They’re written in everyday language, are easy to read, and typically don’t go in-depth with research or analysis. Popular sources aim to be accessible and engaging, often with lots of images and a clear, straightforward style; but they aren't intended for research.
Examples of popular sources include:
- Magazines like Time, National Geographic, and People
- News websites and newspapers like The New York Times or BBC News
- Blogs, social media posts, and general-interest websites
Popular sources are great for getting a quick overview or understanding current events and trends, but they often lack detailed analysis and don’t usually cite sources in a rigorous way.
Professional (or Trade) Sources
Professional sources, also called trade sources, are created for people working in specific fields or industries. These sources provide practical information, updates, and industry trends to professionals but don’t typically include original research or detailed citations. Professional sources are usually written by experts or experienced practitioners who have deep knowledge of the field. The language used may be more technical but it’s usually accessible to people within the industry.
Examples of professional sources include:
- Trade magazines like Advertising Age (marketing), Nursing Times (healthcare), or Architectural Digest (architecture)
- Industry newsletters and reports
- Websites that cater to specific professions, like Engineering News-Record (construction) or Law360 (legal industry)
Professional sources are useful for keeping up with the latest practices, tools, and news in a specific field; but they aren’t as rigorously researched as scholarly sources when it comes to research methods and citations.
Scholarly Sources
Scholarly sources, also called academic sources, are written by experts or researchers for an audience of other experts, researchers, or students. These sources are detailed, thoroughly researched, and carefully reviewed (often through a process called peer review) to ensure accuracy and credibility. Scholarly sources aim to expand knowledge in a particular field, often using original research, detailed data analysis, and comprehensive citations.
A peer reviewed journal is an academic periodical in which articles are written by experts, then reviewed by other experts in that subject area.
Examples of scholarly sources include:
- Academic journals like Journal of Psychology, American Historical Review, and New England Journal of Medicine
- University press books and research-based books
- Professional written and research-based web content
- Theses and dissertations
Scholarly sources are highly credible and in-depth, making them excellent for advanced research or when you need reliable, well-supported information. However, they’re often more challenging to read due to technical language and a focus on detailed analysis.
Accessing Scholarly Sources
In the age of the internet, there are many new ways to find scholarly, academic sources of information. College libraries are often one of the best places to find academic journals and books. Libraries include databases, electronic collections of resources, that can be focused into specific academic subjects. These databases usually include filter tools that can be used to limit your results to specific types of scholarly sources like peer-reviewed journals.
However, there are other places to look for scholarly sources. While Google is not terribly useful at finding especially scholarly sources, scholar.google.com is a search intended to search for more scholarly information.
In Summary
- Popular sources are written for a general audience and aim to entertain or inform broadly (e.g., magazines, newspapers).
- Professional (or trade) sources are targeted at people in specific professions and cover industry-specific news or trends (e.g., trade magazines, industry reports).
- Scholarly sources are research-based, peer-reviewed, and intended for academic or expert audiences, often with rigorous evidence and analysis (e.g., academic journals, theses).
Choosing the right type of source depends on your research needs: popular sources are good for entertainment, professional sources are useful for industry insights and practices, and scholarly sources are essential for academic or detailed research.