LibGuides: English Composition / First Year Writing: What's a Scholarly/Peer-reviewed Article?

Scholarly vs. Popular Articles

	Popular	Scholarly
Audience	The general public	Scholars and researchers
Source Types	Magazines and newspapers produced by general publishers	Academic journals produced by university or academic publishers
How to Find	GoogleNews, OneSearch (refine to news or magazine), Library Databases (e.g., LA Times)	OneSearch (refine to peer-reviewed), Library Databases (e.g., Academic Search Complete), GoogleScholar

Popular

Scholarly

Audience

The general public

Scholars and researchers

Source Types

Magazines and newspapers produced by general publishers

Academic journals produced by university or academic publishers

How to Find

GoogleNews, OneSearch (refine to news or magazine), Library Databases (e.g., LA Times)

OneSearch (refine to peer-reviewed), Library Databases (e.g., Academic Search Complete), GoogleScholar

A peer-reviewed journal article is published in a journal that requires a thorough review process (3-5 experts) that can take up to two years.

Video provided by NC State University Libraries

In addition to scholarly articles, your Professor may allow you to use books or book chapters.

Scholarly Books: Offer in-depth research and discussion of a topic. May include full-length critical books or volumes with essays. Written by expert authors such as scientists, Ph.Ds, and Professors.
Popular Books: Written for general audiences and does not shar research. May include autobiographies, fiction, or historical reading. Published by anyone.