Q. What are the differences between popular and scholarly articles?

There are several key difference between scholarly and popular articles. Scholarly articles, which are also referred to as academic or peer reviewed articles, are written by a scholar or academic expert, are commonly 10-30 pages in length and always include lots of references at the end of the article. Popular articles can be written by anyone, are usually a couple of pages in length, and rarely ever include a list of references.

Easily the most important difference between scholarly and popular articles involves what is called the peer review process. In order to be published in an academic journal, a scholarly article is read by a panel of fellow  scholars. Their job is to verify the accuracy and authenticity of the information contained within the article. If they determine that the article meets the standards and requirements of a scholarly article, the article is sent to publication and officially becomes a peer-reviewed article. Popular articles are not subject to any kind of official peer-review process.

For a comprehensive (and entertaining, I promise!) explanation of scholarly and popular articles, please watch the video below.