| Scholarly | Popular | |
|---|---|---|
| Authors: | Experts such as academics, researchers and scientists | Generalists, including bloggers, staff writers, and journalists; not always attributed |
| Examples: | Academy of Management Journal, American Psychologist, Gender and Society, books from presses such as Wiley and Sage | Wikipedia,news.com.au, abc.net.au, theaustralian.com.au, bestselling books; books from popular publishers like Penguin and Random House |
| Focus: | Specific and in-depth | Broad overviews |
| Language: | Dense; uses academic jargon | Easier to read; defines specialized terms |
| Format: | Almost always include: abstracts, literature reviews, methodologies, results, and conclusions | Varies |
| Citations: | Include bibliographies, citations, and footnotes that follow a particular academic style guide | No formal citations included; may or may not informally attribute sources in text |
| Before publication: | Evaluated by peers (other scholars) | Edited by in-house editors or not edited at all |
| Audience: | Specialists in the subject area: students, professors and the author's peers | General readers; shouldn't require any special background |
| Design: | Mostly text, with some tables and charts; very little photography; no advertising | Glossy images, attractive design; photo illustrations and advertising are more common |
| Purpose: | Communicating research findings; education; | Entertainment; news |
Grey Literature refers to "reports, conference proceedings, preprints, working papers, theses, dissertations, personal communications, technical notes" and other ephemeral scientific sources, often published by government, business or academic organizations*. This kind of literature can be key for emerging research and alternative perspectives.
Government Publications are a subset of grey literature, and can be important sources for state, federal, and international perspectives on official government proceedings of all kinds. Find these by using an Advanced Google Scholar Search or the Australian Government Web Archive
Trade Literature refers to magasines, websites, newsletters and other sources aimed at professionals in a particular field. These sources will often report news and trends in the field, reviews of products related to the industry at hand, interviews with leaders in the field, as well as job listings and advertisements. Use QUT Library QuickFind or a library database & limit results to trade magazines. Examples are HRMagazine, Workforce, Strategic HR Review
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