Popular vs. Scholarly Articles
When looking for articles to use in your work, you should realize that there is a difference between "popular" and "scholarly" articles. Popular sources, such as newspapers and magazines, are written by journalists or others for general readers. Scholarly sources are written by experts in their fields for students and researchers. Scholarly journals are sometimes referred to as "peer-reviewed," "refereed," or "academic."
- Explore Information — Understanding & Recognizing Peer ReviewThis page from the UConn Library about peer review provides more detailed information about the differences between popular and scholarly sources and describes why considering source types is important in your research.
Search Engines vs Library Databases
Web pages and sites that you find with Google and other search engines can be helpful and fun. But do they provide the quality of information that your instructor expects in your work? Is the information found on the Internet available for free? These are key questions to consider when you find information on your topic directly from a search engine. Library databases offer hundreds of reliable and reputable sources that are specifically targeted at students and researchers, with no access fees, and available from home!
