You may also be asked to use empirical articles or primary research - but what do these terms mean
Types of Scholarly Articles
- Empirical Articles - original research is conducted and the article is a formalized write-up of that research (also called primary research)
- Theoretical Articles - contribute to the theoretical foundations of a field by forming a new theory or exploring theories in a new way
- Review Article - called a literature or systematic review and is written to bring together and summarize the results or conclusions from multiple empirical and theoretical articles
- Gray Literature - informally published scholarly work that is often available online and in specialized resources

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Many times you will be asked to find scholarly articles when you are completing a class assignment. Here are some ways to identify a scholarly journal article.
- Scholarly Articles
- Authors are experts/authorities in their fields.
- Authors cite their sources in endnotes, footnotes, or bibliographies.
- Articles must go through a peer-review process (experts in the discipline evaluate each author's work before any articles are published).
- Articles are usually reports on scholarly research and use jargon from the discipline.
- Articles are typically five or more pages in length.
- Individual journal issues have little or no advertising. Illustrations usually take the form of charts and graphs.
- Popular Magazines
- Authors are magazine staff members/regular columnists or free lance writers.
- Authors often mention sources, but rarely cite them.
- Individual issues contain numerous advertisements.
- There is no peer review process.
- Articles are meant to inform and entertain.
- Illustrations are numerous and colorful.
- Articles are typically fairly short and language is geared to the general adult audience.
Click on the image at the right for more information on scholarly vs. popular articles.