| Popular Sources | Scholarly Sources | |
| Author | Professional writers, journalists, or members of the general public. | Experts (scientists, professors, scholars) in a particular field. |
| Audience | General Public | Other experts in a particular field. |
| Language | Basic and clear - easily understood | Very technical and scholarly - not easily understood. |
| Purpose | Often published by for-profit companies for revenue and profit. | Published by non-profit or education organizations to communicate new ideas. |
| Characteristics | Tend to be short and on topics of general interest. | Tend to be longer and are on very specific topics. |
| Citations | Informal or no citations for sources. | Complete and formal citations for sources. |
| Review Process | Reviewed by an editor or self-published with no formal review process. | Often reviewed by a panel of scholars in the field being studied. (Peer-Reviewed) |
Still wondering how to correctly evaluate sources? Check out the following resources:
This test takes you through a list of questions to help you evaluate the information you find. Keep in mind, the different quality measures will be more or less important depending on your situation or need.
