The Research Process

A Scholarly Source:

• Is a publication, such as a journal, that includes papers and articles which record and discuss the results of original research
• Is Written by and for faculty, researchers or scholars (physicists, historians, economists, psychologists, etc.) 
• Uses scholarly or technical language
• Usually contains longer articles about research
• Includes full citations for sources
• Qualifications/credentials of the author(s) are given in the paper
• Are often refereed or peer-reviewed

Examples of a Scholarly Source: 

Canadian Journal of Political Science / Revue canadienne de science politique

Canadian Journal of Public Health / Revue Canadienne de Santé Publique

The Canadian Journal of Economics 

Canadian Education Journal 

(Website Referenced: https://library.geneseo.edu/scholarlyvspopular)

Photo by Zoshua Colah on Unsplash

(Source: Western University, 2011)

Photo by Ali Shah Lakhani on Unsplash

A Popular Source:

• Is a publication, such as a newspaper or magazine that you could buy in a grocery store
• Is often illustrated with pictures and advertisements
• Is many times written by journalists or professional writers for a general audience
• Uses language that is easily understood by general readers and is written for the public
• Rarely gives full citations for sources, though sources may be quoted
• Is usually shorter than journal articles

Examples of Popular Sources:

Macleans Magazine

National Geographic 

Bloomberg Business 

Time Magazine

(Website Referenced: https://library.geneseo.edu/scholarlyvspopular)