Q. How can I tell the difference between scholarly and non-scholarly sources?

Scholarly sources, like academic journals, are appropriate for use in your research paper. Non-scholarly sources, like popular magazines, generally are not.

Scholarly sources are strongly based in research by scholars and other specialists in the subject matter, who adhere to strict standards of conduct and publishing guidelines. A scholarly, peer-reviewed publication undergoes extensive editing  and review, often by experts. Scholarly publishers include university presses and scholarly associations. The intended audience of a scholarly publication is experts in the field or student researchers. Scholarly articles include lists of references and authors are always listed. 

Non‐scholarly sources are speculative, subjective, or biased, or may exist strictly for entertainment purposes. Non-scholarly sources are generally written by non-experts or organizations with a stated or unstated bias. A non-scholarly publication may undergo peer review, which is not necessarily carried out by scholars. For example, Wikipedia articles are peer-reviewed by other users of the site, but those users are not necessarily scholars or experts. Non-scholarly publications are produced by commercial publishers, vanity presses, or other types of publishers. The intended audience of a non‐scholarly publication is the general public, or non-experts.

For more information about how to tell the difference, visit the Academic vs. Popular Sources section of our Introduction to Research Guide.