Are you often confused when trying to differentiate between scholarly vs popular sources? Perhaps you're searching various articles, struggling to determine your sources' credibility, relevance, and overall quality. 

In this guide, we will accurately dissect the superficial differences between scholarly and popular sources to equip you with the knowledge you need to ace your research. 

You can make well-informed decisions when selecting your research materials by leveraging the CRAAP Test - a quality assessment tool for evaluating sources. With this knowledge, you'll confidently navigate the sea of information, ensuring you arrive at the most reliable, relevant, and valuable sources.

Jotbot's solution, "Write smarter, not harder," offers a seamless way to enhance your research process and achieve your objective of providing a detailed comparison between scholarly and popular sources. 

This tool will help you make strategic decisions and effectively evaluate sources, enabling you to discover the most credible and relevant information with ease. So, prepare to transform your research game by diving into the scholarly versus popular sources debate.

Table of Contents

• What are the Research Sources?

• Intended Audience for Different Sources

• Scholarly vs Popular Sources A Comprehensive Comparison

• Overview of How Sources Are Reviewed

• Write Smarter With Jotbot — Start Writing for Free Today

What are the Research Sources?

Research sources serve as the building blocks of knowledge. They enable us to deepen our understanding of a topic, discover new perspectives, and make connections between disparate ideas. In scholarly research, two dominant sources exist: scholarly vs popular sources.

Scholarly sources are publications created by experts in a particular field. These sources present original research, analyses, or critical evaluations of existing knowledge. Examples include academic journals, peer-reviewed articles, and scholarly monographs. By contrast, popular sources are geared toward a general audience with little to no background knowledge on the topic. These sources focus on informing, entertaining, or persuading readers and often use everyday language. Examples include news articles, magazines, websites (with caution), and blogs (with caution).

Choosing the right source for your research goals is paramount. Scholarly sources provide the foundation for a deep understanding of a topic, often offering detailed insights that can shape your thinking and inform your work. On the other hand, popular sources can provide broad overviews or current events related to your topic, giving you a sense of the big picture. Understanding the distinction between these two sources is essential as you embark on your research journey.

Related Reading

• how to know if an article is peer reviewed
• semantic scholar
• what are scholarly sources
• credible sources for research
• how to use google scholar
• craap method
• evaluating sources
• 10 examples of reliable sources
• academic search engines

Intended Audience for Different Sources

Understanding a source's intended audience is critical because it helps us determine the depth of the information. Scholarly sources, for instance, are written for experts and students in a specific field, so they use the jargon of that field. 

This makes scholarly sources hard for people outside the field to understand. On the other hand, popular sources aim to appeal to a wide range of people with different levels of knowledge, which is why they explain complex ideas using simple language and examples.

Scholarly vs Popular Sources A Comprehensive Comparison

Authorship and Expertise

Scholarly Sources

Scholarly sources are typically authored by experts in the field with proven credentials. These authors are usually affiliated with universities, research institutions, or established organizations, which indicates their academic background and expertise in the subject matter. 

Popular Sources 

On the other hand, popular sources are mainly written by journalists, writers, or bloggers who may have varying levels of expertise. While some popular sources feature contributions from subject matter experts, others may be written by journalists who rely on interviews with experts or secondary sources.

Purpose and Focus

Scholarly Sources

Scholarly sources primarily present original research, analyses, or critical reviews of existing work. They aim to advance knowledge within a specific discipline and contribute to ongoing scholarly conversations.

Popular Sources 

On the contrary, popular sources focus on informing, entertaining, or persuading a general audience. They provide current information, explain complex topics in an accessible way, or offer analysis of events or trends with a broader public appeal.

Writing Style and Tone

Scholarly Sources

Scholarly sources adopt a formal and objective tone with technical jargon specific to the field. They prioritize precise communication using terms specific to the discipline, which may require some background knowledge.

Popular source

Popular sources, in contrast, use an informal and engaging tone with everyday language. They aim for clarity and readability, explaining complex concepts with relatable examples or avoiding overly technical terms.

Citations and References

Scholarly Sources

Scholarly sources typically include detailed bibliographies listing all sources used in the research. These bibliographies follow specific citation styles (e.g., APA, MLA), allowing readers to trace the research journey and verify the presented information.

Popular Sources

Popular sources may or may not include references; if they do, they are often abbreviated. Popular sources might cite their sources within the text or offer a brief list of references at the end, but these citations might not be as detailed or follow a specific style guide.

Accessibility and Availability

Scholarly Sources

Scholarly sources often require subscriptions or access through academic databases. Many literary journals are not freely available online, and accessing them might require a university library subscription or a paid service.

Popular Sources

Popular sources are readily available in libraries, online, or through newsstands. They are widely available through libraries, online news websites, magazines, or even newsstands at grocery stores. Popular sources are generally free to access or require minimal subscriptions for online publications.

Jotbot

Jotbot is your personal document assistant. Jotbot does AI note-taking, AI video summarizing, and AI citation/source finding, writes AI outlines for essays, and even writes entire essays with 

Jotbot’s AI essay writer. Join 500,000+ writers, students, teams, and researchers worldwide to write more, write better, and write faster with Jotbot. Write smarter, not harder, with Jotbot. Start writing for free with Jotbot today — sign in with Google and get started in seconds.

Overview of How Sources Are Reviewed

Peer Review: The Guardian of Scholarly Credibility

Peer review is the quintessential safeguard of academic integrity. Before publishing, submitted research is critically evaluated by experts in the same field. 

These reviewers assess the research methodology, data analysis, conclusions, and overall contribution to the field. The goal is to ensure that high-quality, reliable research is disseminated to the academic community.

Strengthening Credibility

Peer review is a rigorous quality control process that ensures published research meets specific standards while minimizing errors, biases, or methodological flaws. This process significantly enhances the credibility and trustworthiness of scholarly sources, making them invaluable resources for researchers and academics.

Editorial Process in Popular Sources

Fact-Checking and Editing

Popular sources go through an editorial process, including fact-checking to verify information and editing for clarity and grammar. However, this process is typically less rigorous than peer review, focusing more on readability and audience engagement.

Emphasis on Readability 

Popular sources prioritize readability and audience engagement, often simplifying complex concepts or omitting detailed methodologies for broader appeal. While these sources may lack the depth of scholarly articles, they can be valuable for understanding a topic or event.

Nuances and Considerations

Scholarly sources provide a strong layer of credibility due to the peer review process. However, it's crucial to remain critical when evaluating any source, as scholarly articles can still present biased perspectives or contain methodological limitations.

Reputable, popular sources with established editorial teams can also offer reliable information, especially for current events or general introductions to a topic. While they may not have the same level of scholarly depth, they can help gain a quick understanding or overview of a subject.

Related Reading

• How to Find Peer Reviewed Articles on Google Scholar
• ChatPDF Alternative
• Best Databases for Research
• Google Scholar Alternative
• Best AI for Writing Research Papers
• Peer-Reviewed Sources
• How to Find Sources for a Research Paper
• How to Tell if a Source Is Scholarly
• Best Websites for Research Papers Free
• Databases Like JSTOR
• How to Find Research Papers
• AI That Cites Sources
• The CRAAP Test
• CRAAP Analysis
• What Is a CRAAP Test?
• CRAAP Criteria
• What Is the CRAP Test
• CRAP Test for Sources
• How to Determine Credibility of a Source
• CRAP Test English
• How to Evaluate a Source for Credibility

Write Smarter With Jotbot — Start Writing for Free Today

Scholarly Sources vs Popular Sources

Scholarly sources are articles or papers written by experts in a field. They are usually peer-reviewed or refereed and published in academic journals or other types of publications.

Scholarly sources provide in-depth analysis and original research and are supported by credible sources. They are written for a specialized audience, such as researchers, academics, or students.

Popular sources, on the other hand, are articles or papers written for a general audience and widely accessible. They are often found in newspapers, magazines, websites, and books. Popular sources deliver news, entertainment, general information, and opinions. Unlike scholarly sources, popular sources generally do not have references or citations to support their claims.

Understanding the difference between scholarly and popular sources is crucial when conducting research. Literary sources are best suited for academic papers as they provide credible and in-depth information on specific topics. Popular sources are great for getting general information and a broader perspective on a subject, but they may not always be reliable in an academic setting.

Write Smarter, Not Harder With Jotbot

Jotbot is your personal document assistant. Jotbot does AI note-taking, AI video summarizing, and AI citation/source finding, writes AI outlines for essays, and even writes entire essays with 

Jotbot’s AI essay writer. Join 500,000+ writers, students, teams, and researchers worldwide to write more, write better, and write faster with Jotbot. Write smarter, not harder, with Jotbot. Start writing for free with Jotbot today — sign in with Google and get started in seconds.

Related Reading

• How to Find Sources for an Essay
• Finding Sources
• Types of Scholarly Sources
• Are Blogs Scholarly Sources
• How to Find Scientific Articles
• Sourcely AI
• Vetting Sources
• CRAAP Test Generator