Scholarly or Peer-Reviewed Sources -
Definition
A scholarly publication is one in which the content is written by experts in a particular field of study - generally for the purpose of sharing original research or analyzing others' findings. Scholarly work will thoroughly cite all source materials used and are usually subject to "peer review" prior to publication. This means that independent experts in the field review, or "referee" the publication to check the accuracy and validity of its claims. The primary audience for this sort of work is fellow experts and students studying the field. As a result, the content is typically much more sophisticated and advanced than articles found in general magazines or professional/trade journals.
In brief, scholarly work is:
*written by experts for experts
*based on original research or intellectual inquiry
*provides citations for all sources used
*is usually peer reviewed prior to publication
Scholarly works are found within databases such as EBSCOhost, PsychARTICLES, Academic Search Premier, CINAHL, Nature, and ProQuest. These types of databases aggregate scholarly works into one search for you to browse through. They are topic specific based on your keywords and can be used for inclusion into a research post or final paper. Although these databases have the best sources, they tend to be more difficult to use (Univ. W. Florida, 2018; Univ. British Columbia, 2018).
Popular Sources -
Definition
While many of your research projects will require you to read articles published in scholarly journals, books or other peer reviewed source of information, there is also a wealth of information to be found in more popular publications. These aim to inform a wide array of readers about issues of interest and are much more informal in tone and scope (Univ. British Columbia, 2018).
Examples of popular sources include general news, business and entertainment publications such as Time Magazine, Business Weekly, Vanity Fair, CNN, Reddit, YouTube, and Fox News.
These sources are not typically appropriate for inclusion into research based discussions or a final paper where a statistical outcome is the body of proof. These sources are informative only; these types of sources do not fulfill the requirement for peer-reviewed sources for research discussions or final paper.
References:
University of British Columbia. Scholarly vs. Popular Sources. Retrieved January 18, 2018, from http://help.library.ubc.ca/evaluating-and-citing-sources/scholarly-versus-popular-sources/
University of West Florida. LibGuides: Scholarly Journals and Popular Magazines: Examples. Retrieved January 18, 2018, from https://libguides.uwf.edu/c.php?g=215256&p=1419971