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.
