Research Guides: Evaluate Information Sources: Scholarly and Nonscholarly

Scholarly and Popular Materials

Scholarly and Popular Materials

When conducting research we need to know the difference between professional, academic, and popular sources. Academic journals tend to be specific to a subject or discipline with 'Scholarly' content provided by researchers and teachers in that field. Magazines, some newspapers, Vlogs, podcasts, and blogs often embody 'Popular' Content. Trade magazines or journals (also referred to as 'Grey Literature'), publish content from within and for a professional field, with a focus on the jobs and careers rather than the scholarship.

We can use all types of content for our research, but there are right and wrong ways to use each.

Criteria	Scholarly Journal	Popular Magazine	Trade Magazine/Journal
Sample Cover
Audience	ACADEMICS, RESEARCHERS, PROFESSIONALS	ALL	INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS
Contributors	Experts, specialists, junior and senior researchers in the field, and in higher education. 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.
References / Works Cited included?	Almost always	Rarely	Sometimes
Stated Purpose	"Publishes peer reviewed research papers in... science, technology, packaging, and engineering of foods.... Special emphasis is given to fundamental and applied research...."	"Offers 'life through the lens of food' — cooking in, dining out, culture, travel, entertainment, shopping and design."	"Provides ideas for foodservice directors, managers and chefs through coverage of industry issues and events, operational topics and food trends that affect the noncommercial foodservice industry."
Example Article Title	"Optimization of the production of shrimp waste protein hydrolysate using microbial proteases adopting response surface methodology"	"In search of the perfect meatball"	"UCLA hospitals go to antibiotic-free meats"
Sample Price	$436/year (6 issues)	$15/year (12 issues)	$80/year (12 issues)

Source: http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/tutorials/scholarly-popular/

Types of Research Articles

Qualities of Empirical Research

Data is derived from a scientific method
Data comes from something that the author experienced, i.e. observation or measurement
Includes specific research questions to be answered
Definition of the population, behavior, or phenomena to be studied
Description of a process used to study a population or phenomena, including selection criteria, controls, and testing instruments

Look for the "IMRaD" format:

Introduction
- Often includes a Literature Review: What is currently known about the topic -- usually includes a theoretical framework and/or discussion of previous studies
Methodology: sometimes called "research design" -- how to recreate the study -- usually describes the population, research process, and analytical tools
Results: sometimes called "findings" -- what was learned through the study -- usually appears as statistical data or as substantial quotations from research participants
Discussion: sometimes called "conclusion" or "implications" -- why the study is important -- usually describes how the research results influence professional practices or future studies

Qualities of Primary Research

The article reports on a study conducted by the authors writing the article.
May include a lit review, but cannot only be a literature review article
Will include hypothesis, methods, data, etc.