This video examines scholarly information and its importance for college-level assignments. The module defines peer‑reviewed information and provides tips to differentiate scholarly journal articles from popular magazines and newspapers.
| Scholarly Publications | Substantive/Trade Publications | Popular Publications | Sensationalist Publications | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audience | Academics, professors, students. | Educated audiences, practitioners. | General public. | Gullible audiences. |
| Author | Scholars, experts, and specialists; credentials are listed. | Credentialed journalists; professionals and industry experts; credentials are usually listed. | Professional writers: journalists, staff, freelance writers; not necessarily experts in the field; authors and/or credentials not always listed. | Anyone. |
| Publisher | Academic presses and professional organizations. | Nationally and internationally recognized organizations. | Commercial businesses. | Varies. Ranges from individuals to politically-minded groups to hate groups. |
| Purpose | Report on scholarship and research. | Share news and trends with industry professionals. | Information and/or entertainment. | Cater to superstitions; elicit emotions and strong feelings for or against a particular topic. |
| Tone | Factual, technical, and scholarly language. | Formal, technical language. Often uses industry jargon. | Relatively simple language. | Sensational terms. Propaganda. Often uses inflammatory or derogatory language. |
| Appearance | Usually plain. May have tables, graphs, charts, and formulas. If photographs are present, they are directly associated with the topic. | Tables, charts, graphs, and images related to the article. More graphic design elements than scholarly publications. | Eye-catching and colorful. | Eye-catching and colorful; sometimes newspaper-like. Often only available online. |
| Advertisements | Limited to advertisements for books and journals. | Most often limited to advertisements for items directly related to the publication or trade; some paid advertisements. | Paid advertisements. | Paid advertisements, often making their own sensationalist claims. Clickbait. |
| Review Process | Reviewed by scholars. All data and interpretations of data are checked. | Reviewed by professional editors employed by the publication. Facts are checked. | Reviewed by professional editors employed by the publication. Facts might be checked. | No apparent or consistent review process. |
| Sources | Always contains a bibliography, works cited, or references. | Often contains in-text citations. May contain references list. | Rarely identifies sources. | Rarely identifies sources. If sources are listed, they may not actually be reliable sources of information. |
| Examples | Academy of Management Review; Journal of Popular Culture; ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering | The Atlantic Monthly; Economist; AdWeek; Government reports and data-sets. | Time; Women's Health; Pride; Life Magazine | Federalist Tribune; Occupy Democrats; National Enquirer |
