What kind of article is it?
| Evaluating Article Type | ||
| Scholarly | Popular | |
| Audience | Academics, Specialists in a particular field | general public, people without a degree in the subject |
| Language | Specific to field, jargon | Everyday language |
| Author | Author’s credentials listed, institution affiliation listed | No credentials or affiliations |
| Look and feel | Structured format, statistics, tables, illustrations that support text | No specific format, illustrations color and glossy, commercial in nature |
| Research | Based on author’s original work/research | Reporting on other’s research |
| Length and Coverage | Long articles with in depth analysis | Short articles with broad overview |
| Editors | Often “peer reviewed” by experts in the field | Reviewed in a general sense, not by experts in the field |
| Bibliography/Citations? | Yes | Probably not |
Which is better?
It all depends on your assignment (or what you’re looking for). If you need to get an overview of a topic or issue, a popular article may serve this purpose. If you require in-depth analysis, case study, or research, then a scholarly article may better meet this need.
How is this useful to me?
| Evaluating Content | ||
| Useful | How relevant is this source to your topic? Does this source offer new information or answers to your questions? |
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| Timely | Is this source older or newer? Does your topic require the latest information and/or historical information? |
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| Appropriate | Is this a scholarly source or a source geared toward a general audience? What level of research do you need? |
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| Authoritative | Are author credentials given? Is the work fair or biased? Are research methodologies or procedures (if any) discussed? |
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What about Web sites?
There is a lot of good information to be found online. That said, there is much to consider when using a web source.
Consider the following: