The Difference Between Scholarly and Popular Print Sources
| Journal - Scholarly
|
Magazine - Popular
|
|
Content |
Detailed report of original research or experiment. | Secondary report or discussion may include personal narrative, opinion, anecdotes. |
|---|---|---|
Author |
Author's credentials are given, usually a scholar with subject expertise. | Author may or may not be named; often a professional writer; may or may not have subject expertise. |
Audience |
Faculty, scholars, subject experts | General public; the interested non-specialist. |
Language |
Specialized terminology or jargon of the field; requires prior knowledge. | Vocabulary in general usage; understandable to most readers. |
References/
|
Required. All quotes and facts can be verified. | Rare. Scanty, if any, information about sources. |
Examples |
Developmental Psychology Journal of Abnormal Psychology. Almost anything with Journal in the title. Usually come with memberships in scholarly societies and are only available in libraries. | Psychology Today, Discover, news magazines. Almost anything available in a store. |
Evaluating Web Sites
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Evaluating Web SitesBy University of Maryland Libraries
Here are a few links with more information on how to evaluate web resources.
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Evaluating Web Sites: Criteria and ToolsFrom Cornell University Library
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Evaluating Information: Are My Sources CRAAP?A checklist from Southern Alberta Institute of Technology
Evaluating Scholarly Resources
Are my sources CRAAP?