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SCI 120 Windows on Science

Topic overview: Magazines for STEM career news

Article databases for STEM careers and research

Introduction to Library Research and Citation

Scholarly v. Popular - Short

How can you tell the difference between and scholarly and popular sources?

Here are some differences between them.

Scholarly Popular
Geared to scholars, researchers, professionals Geared to the general public
Long articles; in-depth coverage of research/study Short articles summarizing research/issues
Articles include many bibliographical references Few, if any, bibliographical references
Few ads; few photos unless related to research Many ads and photos
Often issued monthly or quarterly Usually issued weekly, monthly, or daily (newspapers)
Often sponsored by academic/professional group Can find them at a bookstore or grocery store

Is your journal "peer-reviewed" or "refereed"?

Many databases offer the option to search for "peer-reviewed" journal articles - those are academic articles reviewed by the authors' peers for accuracy during the editing and publishing process.

If you are using a database that does not have this filter option, or if you find an article citation somewhere else, you can check if the article was published in a "peer-reviewed" journal or magazine by using Ulrichsweb. Search for your journal or magazine by title and look for a little black and white striped jersey icon next to its name. 

 

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