Research Guides: SOC 100: Introduction to Sociology: What is a Scholarly Source?

Characteristics of Scholarly vs. Non-Scholarly ("Popular") Sources

	Journal - Scholarly	Magazine - Popular
Content	Research-based -Empirical: Detailed report of an original research study -Review: Summary/synthesis of many studies on a topic -Theoretical: based on the intellectual tradition of a scholarly discipline	Secondary report or discussion may include personal narrative, opinion, anecdotes.
Author	Author's credentials are given, usually a scholar with subject expertise.	Author may or may not be named; often a professional writer; may or may not have subject expertise.
Audience	Scholars, researchers, students.	General public; the interested non-specialist.
Language	Specialized terminology or jargon of the field; requires prior knowledge.	Vocabulary in general usage; understandable to most readers.
References/ Bibliography	Required. All quotes and facts can be verified.	Scanty, if any, information about sources. May mention names of experts in text, but no bibliography.
Publication Process	Editorial oversight and peer-reviewed. May be lengthy time period between submission and publication.	Usually limited to some editorial oversight. Often quick publication time frames.
Examples	American Sociological Review; Social Forces Almost anything with Journal in the title. Usually come with memberships in scholarly societies and are only available in libraries.	Psychology Today, Discover, news magazines. Almost anything available in a store.

How do articles get peer reviewed? What role does peer review play in scholarly research and publication? This video will explain.

Credit: North Caroline State University Libraries

Reports of original research studies
- May use quantitative or qualitative methodologies
Published in peer-reviewed scholarly journals

Start by reading the article abstract. Does the author talk about their data and methodology?

Look at the article itself. Most will follow a particular structure:

Example: Burgard, Sarah A. and Jennifer A. Ailshire. 2013. “Gender and Time for Sleep among U.S. Adults.” American Sociological Review 78(1):51–69.

Report based on summary and synthesis of the majority of the empirical research studies that have been completed on a topic
Published in peer-reviewed scholarly journals
Not to be confused with a book review article, wherein the author discusses one or two books. The literature review article will discuss many different scholarly articles on a topic

Start by reading the abstract. Does the author talk about gathering literature and reviewing existing studies?

You can use a review article in your reference list to talk about the overall trends and findings on your topic.

Consider choosing one or more studies discussed in the review article for your own references
- Look up the studies using the review article's bibliography and entering the citation information into the MGet It MGet It.

Example: Sampson, Robert J., Jeffrey D. Morenoff, and Thomas Gannon-Rowley. 2002. “Assessing ‘Neighborhood Effects’: Social Processes and New Directions in Research.” Annual Review of Sociology 28(1):443–78.

An essay that uses the intellectual tradition of a scholarly discipline, as represented by previously published books and articles, to discuss theory in various ways; e.g., to advance or refine a theory, to analyze and critique a theory, to apply a theory to a particular case, to compare and contrast related theories, etc.
Published in peer-reviewed scholarly journals

Example: Jansen, Robert S. 2011. “Populist Mobilization: A New Theoretical Approach to Populism.” Sociological Theory 29(2):75–96.