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Scholarly Article | Non-scholarly Article | |
Purpose | To share findings of a study, to review other scholarly literature. | To entertain or provide a broad, informative understanding of a subject |
Audience | Other scholars, students of the subject, or professionals in the field | The general public |
Author | A professional in the field or a student within the subject; usually an expert in the field. You can find the author's credentials usually within the document | A reporter hired for the magazine, newspaper, or other form of media--they may consult with experts in the field for their research but they primarily write the article. |
Publisher | Usually an academic or professional organization (a university, a professional organization, or independent academic journal) | A publishing company |
Language | Very specialized writing that is specific for the field; often a very high level (college and post-graduate) | A layman's vocabulary that is easy for the general public to understand. If more specific vocabulary is used, it is defined and explained by the writer; occasionally informal |
Length | Often long, ten pages or more | Short, usually one page; often within a short word limit |
Location | In scholarly databses (Google Scholar, ProQuest, EBSCOHost); may be in a subscription service | Found on the Internet, in magazines, and in newspapers |
Article Style | A very structured format; abstract, introduction, methodology, observations, results, discussion, conclusion (this may vary depending on the field of study) | Conversational, not very structured |
Sources | Other scholarly sources, such as books, journals, and other literature related to the field; specifically structured in-text and at the end in a bibliography | Rarely sourced, if sources are mentioned they are usually mentioned within the writing informally |
Currency - The timeliness of the information
Relevance - The importance of the information to your needs
Accuracy - The reliability, truthfulness, and correctness of the content
Authority - The source of the information
Purpose - The reason the information exists