Scholarly Sources | Popular Sources |
Specific audience | General audience |
Written by experts in same or related field |
Written by Journalists or "layperson" |
Layout tends to be plain | Layout tends to be flashy |
Include references | No references |
Peer-reviewed by experts | Not peer-reviewed |
Most databases have a way to narrow your search to retrieve only scholarly resources.
Is a statement fact or opinion?
Example: The 2012 Olympic men's basketball team won the gold medal in London.
Example: The 2012 Olympic men's basketball team is better than the 1992 men's team, who was known as the "dream team".
Philosophy focuses on facts, and attempts to avoid opinion.