Scholarly vs. Non-Scholarly Sources

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DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN SCHOLARLY AND NON-SCHOLARLY SOURCES

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This guide was created by the St. Olaf Libraries. Some text was adapted from UC Santa Cruz University Library.

THIS IS A SCHOLARLY ARTICLE

HOW CAN YOU TELL?

Scholarly articles are written by specialists and researchers with expertise in the subject area. Scholar credentials and affiliations often appear on the bottom of the first page.

Scholarly articles are published in scholarly journals. The journal title, volume, and issue information typically appears at the top of the page. Journal titles may be abbreviated.

Scholarly articles are intended for a specialist readership of researchers, academics, students, and professionals.

Scholarly articles are peer reviewed. This means they are critically evaluated by peers (fellow scholars) in the field for content, scholarly soundness, and academic value.

Citations and references indicate an ongoing scholarly conversation on the topic.

Scholarly articles present researchers' findings and conclusions based on original research.

Well-researched articles nearly always follow standard format: abstract, introduction, literature review, methodology, results, conclusion, bibliography/references.

Charts and graphs show the original data analysis conducted by the researchers.

Link

Vonshay Sharpe, Rhonda, and Omari H. Swinton. “Beyond Anecdotes: A Quantitative Examination of Black Women in Academe.” The Review of Black Political Economy, vol. 39, no. 3, 2012, pp. 341–52, doi:10.1007/s12114-012-9134-6.

Scholarly articles typically include a bibliography of sources referenced in the article.

THIS IS A NON-SCHOLARLY ARTICLE

HOW CAN YOU TELL?

Non-scholarly articles can be written by journalists, columnists, magazine staff writers, or freelance writers.

Non-scholarly articles often include eye-catching images designed to draw in readers.

Non-scholarly articles often feature interviews or quotes from one or more people affected by or involved with the topic.

Non-scholarly articles are intended to attract a general readership without any particular expertise or advanced education.

Reilly, Katie. “Depression on Campus.” Time, vol. 191, no. 13, Apr. 2018, p. 38–42.

Link

Non-scholarly articles may include data or statistics but might not indicate how the data was collected or interpreted.

Non-scholarly articles may refer to published sources but rarely contain in-text citations or footnotes.

Non-scholarly articles usually share previously published research rather than original research. They may report on multiple studies and give background information.

NON-SCHOLARLY SOURCES

SCHOLARLY SOURCES

Scholars share findings from their original research in journals specific to their subject area.

Sometimes called "popular" or general interest sources, journalists report on interviews and/or research done by others.

Quarterly Journal of Economics; Journal of Musicology; Nature; Journal of Black Studies

Examples:

• Present researchers' findings and conclusions based on original research
• Charts and graphs show original data analysis conducted by the researchers
• Peer reviewed
• Written by specialists and researchers with expertise in the subject area
• Intended for a specialist readership of researchers, academics, students, and professionals
• Citations and references indicate an ongoing scholarly conversation on the topic
• Standard format with few or no ads or images
• Include a bibliography of sources

Time Magazine; The Atlantic; Newsweek; Vogue; Sports Illustrated

Examples:

• Intended for a general readership
• Share previously published research; may report on multiple studies and give background information
• Include eye-catching images designed to draw in readers
• Written by journalists, columnists, magazine staff writers, or freelance writers
• Feature interviews or quotes from one or more people affected by or involved with the topic
• May include data or statistics but might not indicate how the data was collected or interpreted
• Refer to published sources but rarely contain in-text citations or footnotes

The good news is that there is a time and place to use both types of sources. Be sure you know which sources are scholarly and which are not so that you can use each appropriately! Your professor or assignment might have specific requirements for which sources to use, so be sure to check first.

Now that you have learned about distinguishing characteristics of scholarly and non-scholarly sources, you may be wondering: When do I use each type of source?

Check Your Understanding

True or False?

1. Scholarly articles are peer reviewed by other scholars for content, scholarly soundness, and academic value.2. Scholarly articles are written by journalists.3. Non-scholarly articles typically have a bibliography of sources referenced in the article.4. Both scholarly and non-scholarly articles can be useful for conducting research.

When you are ready, check your answers!

1. True 2. False 3. False 4. True