From time to time, you may come across or be asked to use 'popular' sources of authority in your research. Popular sources are often nontraditional sources of information in academic writing that can differ a great deal from academic books and/or scholarly journal articles.
This page does not represent ALL of the 'nontraditional' resources that you could possibly use in your research. However, it is intended as a starting place for searching for these materials. Remember that with any resources you use you will need to take the time to evaluate the resources' quality and determine if they are worthy of inclusion in your work.
| Academic Sources | Popular Sources |
|
Intended for scholars or students studying the topic. These sources will often contain very technical language or jargon that people who work in the field are expected to know. |
Intended for a more general audience. Because of this, the language will be simpler and won't use jargon from the field. |
| Undergo peer review - the process where other experts in the field review the article to insure that it is quality research. | Does not go through a peer review process. At most, these sources will typically go through a copy editor. |
| Will cite their sources with a bibliography, works cited, or notes page. | Do not typically cite their sources in list form. |
| Published by a scholarly press, professional organization, or academic journal | Mostly published by for-profit companies. |
| Typically have tables or graphics to convey data. | Often include pictures or video alongside the text. |
| Examples of Popular Sources |
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https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=158823678&site=ehost-live |
