| CRITERIA |
POPULAR |
SCHOLARLY |
| Intended audience |
The general public |
Researchers, experts, and student |
| Authors |
Staff writers |
Researchers and experts |
| Are sources cited? |
Not often |
Always (required for publication) |
| Purpose |
To provide general information and to entertain the reader |
To disseminate research findings |
| Content |
General interest stories/news |
Reports on research |
| Publisher |
Commercial organizations |
Universities, associations, or scholarly publishing companies |
| Is the source trustworthy? |
Generally, yes. But the authors are not experts, the editors aren't experts, and the information isn't cited |
Yes. Before publication the information goes through expert review |
Information gathered from UNC's University Libraries
