To understand the distinctions between the 4 types, go now to read Scholarly to Popular Continuum and then return here. This is especially true when you are working with electronic articles and cannot see the original print journal or magazine to evaluate graphics, color and advertising. Sometimes it can be hard to assign a particular magazine to one category. The key distinction is that scholarly journals report primary research. Articles with bibliographies carry more weight as evidence than do articles without bibliographies.
Primary research is reported in scholarly journals.
However, scholarly articles can be difficult for non-specialists to understand and are not necessary for most composition projects. An article in Newsweek or Time can be very valuable for an ENGL 101 paper. Choose material that is appropriate for the project on which you are working and appropriate for your level of understanding. Previous Next Return to Mundt Library homepage.