Understand the differences between information types will help you choose the right resources to complete your research.
Peer Reviewed/Scholarly vs. Popular Resources
A peer-reviewed article has been reviewed by professionals or scholars in the field prior to publication, establishing the credibility of the information.
|
Peer-Reviewed / Scholarly |
Popular |
|
| Peer Review | Most scholarly articles are peer reviewed. Experts in the field review and critically evaluate articles before publication. | Articles are not critically evaluated by discipline experts. |
| Length of articles |
Longer articles In-depth and detailed coverage |
|
| Author |
Author usually an expert Credentials and contact information listed |
Staff writer or freelance writer Articles often unsigned |
| Language |
Discipline-specific vocabulary Specialized knowledge required to understand the article |
No specialized background knowledge of the subject matter required to understand the article |
| Intended audience | Researchers and experts in the field | General public |
| Article layout and design | Structured articles with sub-headings such as Abstract, Literature review, Methodology, Results, Conclusion, Bibliography | Often do not follow a specific format or structure |
| Images |
Images that support the text are often charts or tables Few colour photos |
Photos and other images often support the text |
| Examples |
Journals, such as Journal of Financial Economics Books can be scholarly if they fit most of the criteria above. However, books are rarely peer reviewed, unless they contain articles that have appeared in journals. |
Magazines, such as Maclean's Newspapers, such as the New York Times Websites, such as WebMD.com |
Examples: diaries, letters, memoirs, speeches, manuscripts, interviews, statistics, treaties, laws, research articles, records of information collected by the government, organizations, committees (can all be primary sources)
Secondary: A document created after an event and expressing an opinion, argument, interpretation or analysis based on primary sources describing the original event.
Examples: history text books, historical movies and biographies (can all be secondary sources)
Document Types and Formats
Annual Report, Case Study, Statistics, Government Information, Interview, Image, News, Review, Standards, SWOT, Company Report, Country Report, Industry Report, Working Paper, etc.
Formats include:
Magazine, Newspaper, Book, Reports, Scholarly Journal, Trade Journal, Conference Paper, e-Book, Audio Visual, etc.