Library Portal: BIO 111: General Biology I: Popular v. Scholarly Articles

What is the difference between scholarly and popular sources?

You ask:

My instructor says I have to use three (3) to five (5) peer-reviewed, scholarly sources or journal articles. What does this mean?

We answer:

Journal articles are written by experts in a given field and are considered “scholarly," which means they are intended for academic and evidence-based research.
Scholarly articles are also sometimes referred to as “peer reviewed” articles because they have been reviewed and critiqued by authors' peers or experts in the same subject area, discipline, or profession.
Popular sources, on the other hand, refer to general interest publications like magazines and newspaper intended for the general public, which may or may not be intended for academic research.

Criteria	Scholarly Journal	Popular Magazine	Trade Magazine/Journal

Audience	Academics and professionals	General public	People or industry members (tradefolks) in the business
Authors	Experts or specialists, usually hold PhDs (unpaid)	Journalists, staff writers, or freelance writers (paid)	Staff writers, industry specialists, or vendor representatives (paid)
Editorial Review	Journal editorial board and peer reviewers (unpaid)	Professional editors (paid)	Professional editors (paid)
Reference/Works Cited	Almost always	Rarely	Sometimes

How to Read a Scientific Paper: Science Buddies
A nice, concise overview on the differences between primary sources and review articles in the sciences -- offers good tips on how to identify a primary research article.