Skip to Main Content

HIST 102 - History of the United States Since 1865 - Researching World War II - Gutierrez

Types of sources

Confused about types of sources?

This video uses humor and exaggeration to teach the difference between popular, substantive, and scholarly sources.

Primary & Secondary

 

Scholarly, Substantive, and Popular Sources

Types of Information Scholarly, Substantive, and Popular Sources Scholarly Sources (example: journals like the New England Journal of Medicine) Produced by discipline experts and aimed at other experts Communicates specialized and discipline-specific information Often reporting original research and experimentation Some scholarly content is peer-reviewed Scholarly information is a great choice for college students, though it can be challenging to read and understand for the non-expert. Substantive Sources (example: newspapers of record like the New York Times) Produced by experts or journalists and geared toward an educated -- but not necessarily expert -- audience Communicates timely, credible information of general interest Fact-checked before publication Substantive information is a great choice for community college students because it is both credible and accessible Popular Sources (example: fun magazines like Men’s Health) Produced by journalists, staff and freelance writers, even AI; aimed at the general public Provides a broad overview of topics a general readership will find entertaining Great for identifying potential topic ideas and providing general introductions to topics If you want (or need) to use popular material for academic work, talk to your professor as you'll need to be sure to supplement it with articles from scholarly and substantive sources

Click on the document below to view the text of this image.
Subjects: History
Tags: HIST102, World War 2, World War II, WW2, wwii
Except where otherwise noted, this work is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 and CC BY-NC 4.0 Licenses.