Scholarly journal articles differ from popular magazines/newspapers in that they contain vetted information and are written by and for scholars (and not for the general mass market public). See the following table to help your distinguish between popular and scholarly articles:
| Popular Articles (Magazines/Newspapers) | Scholarly Articles (Journals) |
| Written by journalists, columnists, reporters, bloggers, etc. | Written by scholars, academics, and researchers. |
| Written for non-experts and the casually interested. | Written for (and by) those with expertise in the field. |
| Sometimes referenced, but rarely with academic/scholarly sources. | Thoroughly referenced, with credible and reputable sources. |
| Written to entertain, inform, provoke, and make money. | Written to advance scholarship and academic knowledge. |
| Usually reviewed by an editor, though freelance work may be un-reviewed. | Usually reviewed by academics and scholars (hence “peer-review”).* |
| Examples: Time, Newsweek Global, National Geographic, The New Yorker | Examples: Annual Review of Critical Psychology, Cinema Journal, American Journal of Education, Nature |
*Note that while peer-reviewed articles are always scholarly, scholarly sources are not always peer-reviewed. Not all academic journals go through the peer-reviewed process, but are still considered scholarly since they have articles written by experts in that field of study.
Below you will find a pair of popular and scholarly articles for comparison. The popular article discusses the exact same research study from the scholarly article, but the popular article presents that information quite differently. Notice how short and general the popular article is, while the scholarly article is extremely detailed and contains a number of references.
When doing research, it’s important to use a variety of sources so you can get a well-rounded view, include several voices and perspectives, and diminish bias. Depending on your research needs, you may need to draw on a variety of different types of sources. Some may be more or less useful, depending on your research question.
Primary Sources:
Primary sources are original documents, such as interviews, letters, original research findings, works of art, legal documents, and more. They are first hand accounts of an event that has happened, and involves someone who has a direct connection with the event or work.
Examples:
Secondary Sources:
Secondary sources are a report or analysis of something that has already happened. They are an interpretation of a primary source. For this assignment, you may also consider these as sources that you use to interpret your primary sources (and may also include what we might otherwise think of as a primary source as listed above).
Examples:
Tertiary Sources:
Tertiary sources are sources that index, abstract, organize, compile, or digest other sources. Some reference materials and textbooks are considered tertiary sources when their chief purpose is to list, summarize or simply repackage ideas or other information. The purpose of tertiary literature is to provide an overview of key research findings and an introduction to principles and practices within the discipline.
Examples:
Newspaper Articles:
Although newspaper articles are typically secondary sources, some are primary; it can be confusing. If the newspaper article is reporting on a recent event, then it would be considered primary. If it's reporting on either something that has happened in the past, or drawing in information from other sources, it would be secondary.
Example:
A newspaper article from 1912 that reports on the sinking of the Titanic would be a primary source since it's an article from the time the event happened.
A newspaper article from 2019 reporting on the results of the presidential election of 2016 would be a secondary event since it's reporting on something that has already happened.