Research Guides: Meaning of Madness: SPSY 0828/0928: What's "Scholarly"? "Non-Scholarly?"

Scholarly, Research, Non-Scholarly, Popular, etc.

Different types of publications have different purposes and different audiences. When we talk about source types, we can divide these sources into broad categories such as scholarly and non-scholarly; however, you should evaluate all sources you find and think critically about why and how you are using them. Below are a few characteristics of each and things to consider when using them in your research.

	Scholarly (also referred to as "Research" or "Peer-Reviewed")	Non-Scholarly
purpose	Often informs and reports on original research done by scholars and experts in the field. May also include sources with general information and established facts.	Informs a general audience. May or may not provide in-depth analysis.
authors	Articles are written by subject specialists and experts in the field.	Articles are written by journalists, freelance writers, or an editorial staff.
audience	Intended for a limited audience - researchers, scholars, experts	Intended for a broad segment of the population, appealing to non-specialists.
Examples	Journal articles that report on original research (also commonly referred to as the "research literature" and "peer-reviewed" articles) Encyclopedia articles Research reports from respected research organizations	Newspaper articles (NY Times, Washington Post, etc.) Magazines (Time, The Atlantic) Blogs
How do I use it?	As evidence to support your argument, e.g. you might point to a specific finding in a research study to bolster your own point or opinion. As background/historical information to introduce a topic e.g. you might use information from an encyclopedia article to give your reader an overview of a topic.	To engage it's argument, (e.g. you might use an editorial from the New York Times on mental illness to refute in your own paper). A preliminary search tool (e.g. news articles often link to research and data sources that may be "scholarly" or provide a more in-depth analysis).
How to identify it	Lengthy list of references to other sources, author credentials	May or may not have a list references (often shorter if included at all)