ENGL 01A Baker: Types of Sources

Popular Magazine / News Articles

"Use reference books..to get quick specific facts or information or an overview of a subject...Some examples of reference sources are: dictionaries, encyclopedias, bibliographies, almanacs, directories, atlases, and handbooks. These can be online or in print" ["What are reference books (or reference sources)?", Simon Fraser University Library].

Reference sources can also point to scholarly sources in their list of references or suggested resources for further reading.

Scholarly books are written by experts and published by a university press or other academic publisher. They also contain references to outside research. Use scholarly books or book chapters when you need more depth on a topic.

Scholarly books can come in two types:

Monographs: each chapter is written by the same author or authors

Anthologies: each chapter is written by a different author or authors and compiled into a book by an editor or editors

Scholarly articles are published in journals. These articles report on the findings of a research study, such as an experiment, survey, focus group, or film, literary, or legal analysis, etc.

Scholarly articles are long and are written by experts for other experts, so they are more challenging to read. The researchers aren't paid to produce this type of article, and they are usually reviewed by peers, also for free, in similar fields. These types of articles usually have references / citations.

Popular articles include those from newspapers and magazines. The content focuses on current events. For historical research, popular articles can also alert you to what was of interest during a certain time period / era.

Popular articles are short and are written for a general audience, so they are often easier to read. They are written by paid journalists, staff writers, or freelance writers, and they are reviewed by paid professional editors. These types of articles rarely have references / citations. 

Example source

Encyclopedia

Encyclopedia of Race and Racism

Anthology

South Africa: A Country Study

Scholarly Journal

Social Identities: Journal for the Study of Race, Nation and Culture

Magazine

New African

Sample from source

"Racial Formations: South Africa"

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"Understanding the Magnitude and Extent of Crime in Post-Apartheid South Africa"

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"South Africa: Justice by the Colour Bar"

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Author(s)

Natascha Mueller-Hirth - Author of the encyclopedia entry

Every chapter has a different author or author. You will need to look up the author or the authors of the chapter you are interested in.

G.D. Breetzke - Author of the article

Kgomotso Nyanto - Author of the article