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Public Health 103-01 (Ramírez, Spring 2025)

Health Communication

Scholarly vs Popular Chart

View this chart from the UC Merced Library to determine if an article is scholarly or popular.

Scholarly and Non-Scholarly Characteristics

Scholarly Non-Scholarly aka Popular
can include articles and books can include articles, books, and many other information sources from blogs to government publications
Scholarly articles are also referred to as peer-reviewed or refereed articles.  These are a sub-set of scholarly articles. sources that are non-scholarly can still be useful and credible
Scholarly books are often produced by university presses (e.g. California University Press) or other publishers focused on academic literature produced by a variety of individuals and organizations from reputable organizations to self-publishers
include citations, usually extensive (lots!) citations may or may not be included
written by and for faculty, researchers or scholars (research focused) written for a variety of audiences