Created for your library by Council of State University

Libraries

Information Literacy Subcommittee

http://csul.net/2010

 

Welcome to the tutorial Popular Periodicals versus Scholarly Publications.

In this 5-minute tutorial, Alyse Ergood of Florida Atlantic University Library will compare them and explain the importance of the differences between popular and scholarly publications.

 

In college-level assignments, professors frequently ask students to find and use quality information sources.

Some may require the use of articles from popular publications while others may require them from scholarly journals.

We will describe their few key differences so you can identify them for use in your assignments.

Popular publications are generally available at grocery stores or news stands.  

They are written in plain language, with the general public as the intended audience. 

Articles are written at a general reading level, and the purpose is to inform or entertain readers.

These articles cover a broad variety of topics such as news, politics, gossip, or sports.

They are normally written by journalists who may (or may not) have subject expertise.

 

Additional features of popular magazines include many advertisements as well as pictures and colorful graphics.

 

Examples of popular magazines include Time, Rolling Stone, and Vogue.

1.  The purpose of popular publications is to inform or entertain.

2.  They cover a variety of topics and are written for the general public.

3.  Articles are normally written by journalists and include many colorful pictures, graphics, and advertisements.

4.  Examples include Time, Rolling Stone, and Vogue.

Scholarly publications differ in many ways from popular ones.

First, they are generally available at libraries; many are available electronically or in print format.

A scholarly publication, such as a journal, is written for students, professionals, or researchers.

These publications cover academic disciplines and delve into specific topics within a field.

These journals communicate new research and scholarly ideas within a specific discipline.

 

Articles in scholarly journals are written by experts and researchers within specific subject areas.  This is evident by their credentials which are often listed or contained in the article. 

For example, a researcher's name, degree, and university or professional affiliation are included within the article.

 

Such authors are usually considered people of authority within their discipline because of their professional background and expertise.

Scholarly journals are written with the assumption that readers have a certain level of knowledge about a subject area.

Unlike the articles found in popular publications, scholarly articles often contain an abstract and introduction, research methods and conclusions, as well as references or a bibliography.

 

Examples of scholarly journals include Nature, The Chaucer Review, Genocide Studies & Prevention, and Biochemical Engineering Journal.

 

If you are not sure if a journal is scholarly, refer to Ulrich's Periodicals Directory, which is available both online and in print formats.

For more information, contact your instructor or professor for further clarification.

1.  Scholarly publications communicate research and scholarly ideas.

2.  These publications cover specific subject areas and have a narrow scope.

3.  They are written by experts and researchers within a discipline.

4. Refer to Ulrich's Periodical Directory to find out if a journal is scholarly.

For further clarification, contact your professor or campus librarian.

Good luck with your research!

Created for your library by

Council of State University Libraries

Information Literacy

Subcommittee

http://csul.net/2010