When doing research, you'll encounter and rely on a variety of types of sources. Understanding their differences will help you recognize the conversations taking place between your sources and where they fit into the broader context of your topic. This guide discusses sources that are formally published, which does not include general websites, although publications will often have a web presence. 

You might hear a variety of terms used to describe to the concept of a scholarly article. Scholarly, peer-reviewed, refereed, academic, journal, and research article are typically referring to the same thing: an article written by experts in a particular field that has gone through a peer-review process.

If you're confused about what you're being asked to find, have a conversation with your instructor for clarification.

Scholarly Sources

Scholarly sources are typically:

• intended for a more academic audience.
• written by experts and scholars in a particular field.
• peer-reviewed.
• published with an extended timeline from idea to publication due to the time it takes to conduct research and go through the peer-review process.
• journal articles or books and book chapters from academic presses.
• doing some type of original research or analysis.

Popular Sources

Popular sources are typically:

• intended for a more general audience.
• written by a variety of people with a wide range of expertise. 
• reviewed by an editor, which is not as rigorous as peer-review.
• published more frequently than scholarly sources.
• magazine and newspaper articles or general interest books.
• disseminating knowledge from scholarly sources, news, and events. 
• more likely to include opinions or editorials.
• good for background reading.