Popular vs. Scholarly Articles: What is the Difference?

Why is it important to differentiate between scholarly and popular sources?

In order to effectively conduct research, and therefore write knowledgeably about your topic, you will need to make decisions about which articles support your thesis best. One factor that will help you decide is the source an article is published in. Based on the characteristics of each publication, you will be able to support different aspects of your argument. For example, original research written by a subject expert will often provide the most credible information, while an article written by a journalist or freelance writer about popular events will offer good support.

Note: Scholarly journals are commonly referred to as academic and/or peer-reviewed journals.

What is the difference between scholarly (peer-reviewed) and popular articles?


Video from Georgia State University	Video from Wayne State University

How Do I Even Read That? Understanding Scholarly Articles

You've found some articles now you need to actually read them.

Image: Neha Joshi, 2011.

Many different approaches to reading a research article exist. Most researchers, however, don't read an article from start to finish like they might a book.

The following steps will help you navigate a research article:

First read the title and abstract to get an overview of the research and determine if the article is relevant and understandable and of sufficient importance.
Read the introduction to gain a deeper understanding of the context of the research. Do you understand the background information? How does this study fit into the rest of the field? What is known about the topic? What is still unknown?
Skim the results, including the tables and figures. Do you understand the key variables and can you identify some general trends (e.g., shape of a curve)?
Move on to the discussion section of the paper. Focus on the first and last paragraphs. What are the major findings? Are these results relevant for you? How do they relate to the field as a whole? Do you agree with the logic of the conclusions? What further or follow-up studies do the researchers recommend?
Finally, read the methods. What is the methodology? Is it sufficiently described that one could replicate the study? What is the sample size? What factors might have affected the outcome of the study?
Go back and reread the results and discussion in more detail.

While reading each section, take notes. Write down any questions you have or parts you don't understand and then turn to textbooks or encyclopedias to help make this clearer. Jot down terms you aren't familiar with and look them up in a subject-specific dictionary.

Learn more on this topic:

How to Read and Understand a Scientific Paper: A Step-by-Step Guide for Non-Scientists
How to Read a Research Article
Anatomy of a Scholarly Article (NCSU)

Watch this video for more tips: