WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE? |
POPULAR
|
SCHOLARLY
|
Who reads it? | General public. | Professionals in the field, scholars and "experts" |
Who writes these? | Reporters, journalists, almost anyone. | Professionals, scholars and "experts". |
What's in them? | News, non-technical language, entertainment/general interest articles. No bibliographies and may be slanted to illicit an emotional response. | In-depth research, technical language, original research studies, bibliographies and references. Typically more objective. |
What do they look like? | Consumer advertising, glossy photos, attractive layout. | Dense text. Fewer, more specialized ads. |
When/how are they available? | Typically available: weekly and/or daily. Available at newsstands. | Typically available: monthly, quarterly, or biannually. Usually subscription only. |
What are they good for? | Broad overview of complex topics, popular perspective, finding out what is being written about a topic generally. | Current research findings, checking accuracy of data and/or statistics, reviewing important research on a specific topic or theme. |
What else? | Usually used as a secondary source. Editors and publishers decide what gets printed each issue. | Primary source for lab or field research. Secondary sources for review articles. Panel of author's colleagues decide what gets printed in each issue. |
Some examples: | Some examples: Time, Newsweek, National Geographic, New York Times | Some examples: Nature, Journal of Ecology, Climate Research |