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Scholarly vs. popular sources
Scholarly, Popular, and Grey Literature
Scholarly Journals
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Gray Literature
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Popular/General Interest Magazine
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Longer articles, providing in-depth analysis of topics
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Long or short, depending on intended audience
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Shorter articles with broad overviews of topics
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Publish original research in a field.
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Published through the government, organizations, institutes, and interest groups. Often original research.
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Published to inform, entertain, or persuade.
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Bibliography provided to document research
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Bibliographies usually provided
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Possibly a “suggested reading” list, usually no bibliography
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Authors are usually experts or specialists in the field. Names and credentials are always provided
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Authors are usually experts or specialists in the field. Names and credentials are always provided
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Authors are often journalists or staff writers. No credentials are provided
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Articles are reviewed and evaluated by experts in the field (refereed)
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Articles are often written by experts, but are mostly not peer-reviewed. In some cases, e.g. federal agencies, they may have internal peer-review.
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Articles are not evaluated by experts in the field, but by editors on staff
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Scholarly vs. popular periodicals
Scholarly vs. popular sources video
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