How do I tell the difference between a scholarly document and a non-scholarly document?
The best way to tell the difference between scholarly or non-scholarly publications is to examine the features of each. The chart below provides a summary of the key differences:
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SCHOLARLY/ |
PROFESSIONAL/ |
POPULAR |
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Description |
Reports original research or academic study | Contains serious, substantial articles |
Appeals to general audience |
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Examples |
Journal of American History Journal of Educational Psychology |
Business Economics American Nurse |
Sports Illustrated Time |
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Authors |
Scholars, researchers, professors in the field | Staff writers, practitioners, free lancers | Journalists, staff writers |
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Content
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Original research, experiments, or analysis Always contains extensive bibliographies, Long articles Professional, scholarly language, usually |
Articles for practitioners May have a list of references Shorter articles than scholarly journals Technical language |
General interest and news Rarely has bibliography Short articles, often general/ Non-technical language |
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Publishers |
Universities, research institutions Commercial publishers |
Professional organizations Commercial publishers |
Commercial Publishers |
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Little advertising Charts, graphs, little color |
Advertisements Some color and photographs |
Advertisements Glossy photographs, colorful |
Please note: These are general guidelines for evaluating the difference. Not all articles in scholarly
journals are scholarly, though! If you have any questions about an article, please check with your professor.
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If you have a question or need help, you can use the chat window, call the reference desk at 703-284-1649, or email us at library@marymount.edu.
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If you have a question or need help, you can use the chat window, call the reference desk at 703-284-1649, or email us at library@marymount.edu.
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