Scholarly vs. Popular
Empirical / Original Research (Primary Research) Articles
- Journal is often peer-reviewed
- Highly detailed article that focuses on ONE specific study conducted by the authors
- Often have multiple (2) authors with specified credentials
- Geared toward people in this field
- Language is technical and specific
- Multiple pages long plus references
- Sophisticated, detailed content with charts, diagrams and many references of other experts’ work done in this area
- May be called a "primary," "original," or "empirical" article.
- PRIMARY SOURCE – authors writing the article are the ones who conducted the research they are writing about
All the details of the authors’ study are specified and often described in sections with the headings: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results and Discussion.
Review (Secondary) Articles
- Journal is often peer-reviewed
- Highly detailed article
- Often have multiple (2) authors with specified credentials
- Geared toward people in this field
- Language is technical and specific
- Multiple pages long plus references
- Sophisticated, detailed content with charts, diagrams and many references of other experts’ work done in this area
- SECONDARY SOURCE - NOT firsthand study—authors reiterate what others have done, without describing how they conducted their own research.
- Provides review of many other studies
Many review articles do not state a problem or hypothesis, no methodology, no findings or results of a specific study being conducted. Exceptions of this are systematic reviews and meta-analysis.
General Non-Scholarly Articles
- Journal may be peer-reviewed, but article is not.
- Very general article
- One author whose knowledge and authority is not indicated
- Geared toward non-technical general audience
- Language is simple and common—not technical or precise
- Short article
- Simple and basic concepts and facts
- No specific study conducted
- No methods, analysis; limited works cited, tables, charts, statistical data
Article Type Chart
Use this chart to compare the different types of scientific articles you may find in a library database.
How to Read a Scholarly Article (video 1)
University of Illinois Undergraduate Library. "How to Read a Scholarly Article." YouTube, uploaded by University of Illinois Undergraduate Library, 6 Aug 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZS1Beio11M
How to Read a Scholarly Article (video 2)
Western University Libraries. "How to Read a Scholarly Article." YouTube, uploaded by Western University, 26 Apr 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SmOq6gENPM