Knowing the purposes of information contained in different publications can help you select the best sources of information for your assignment.
Three main types of publications are popular, scholarly, and trade.
Popular publications are written by journalists for the general public. Scholarly publications are written by and for experts or scholars in a field. Trade publications are written by and for professionals in a field.
| Topic | Popular | Scholarly | Trade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medical | WebMD | Journal of the American Medical Association | American Nurse |
| Politics | Newsweek | Political Science Quarterly | International Political Science Review |
| Celebrity | People | Celebrity Studies | Backstage |
Both the Internet and library databases have access to all three types of publications. The Internet tends to favor information from popular rather than scholarly sources. Library databases are great places to find all three types of publications, especially scholarly information.
See this guide for more information about popular, scholarly, and trade publications.