WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?
|
POPULAR
|
SCHOLARLY
|
| Who reads it? |
General public |
Professionals in the field, scholars and "experts" |
| Who writes these? |
Reporters or journalists |
Professionals, scholars, and "experts." |
| What's in them? |
News, pop culture articles, interviews. They use non-technical language, entertainment/general interest articles. No bibliographies and sources rarely cited |
In-depth research articles, book reviews, essays. May use specialized or technical language. Will always provide citations to other sources used. |
| What do they look like? |
Consumer advertising, glossy photos, attractive layout. |
Dense text. Fewer, more specialized ads. |
| When/how are they available? |
Typically available through public libraries (and some academic libraries) |
Typically available through academic libraries. |
| What are they good for? |
Broad overview of complex topics, popular perspective, finding out what is being written about a topic generally. |
Findings of current research, checking accuracy of data and/or statistics, reviewing important research on a specific topic or theme. Understanding a scholarly conversation about a particular topic. |
| Editorial process |
Editors and publishers decide what gets printed each issue. |
Panel of experts in the field decides what gets published. |
| Some examples |
Time, Newsweek, The New York Times, National Geographic, The Nation |
American Politics Research, Journal of Black Studies, Immigration and Minorities, Ethnic and Racial Studies |