1. 2. Popular & Scholarly Sources
St. Catherine University Library
2. When you search the library databases, you
will find two different types of articles-
Popular and Scholarly.
3. Popular sources =
magazines and newspapers
Popular articles share the following characteristics. They are …
• written by a journalist (not an expert in the subject),
• aimed at a general audience, and
• do not contain references.
4. As a St. Kate’s student, you have
Scholarly sources=
academic journals
Scholarly articles share the following characteristics. They are…
• written by experts,
• approved by other experts (through the peer-review system),
• often contain original research, and
• contain citations and references.
5. Both can be useful
Popular sources can be useful to learn about a subject you
are unfamiliar with or when need very recent information.
Scholarly sources are preferable for upper level courses and
when you are writing about a topic you are familiar with.
6. Confused? Have questions?
St. Catherine University Library
• Set up an appointment with a librarian here
• Call the reference desk at the St. Paul campus
library at 651-690-6652
