The distinction between popular and scholarly sources is vital to consider when conducting research. First of all, popular sources are often divided into subsections based on the discussed topics or are not separated at all. However, academic articles always follow a similar structure, which includes an introduction, literature review, methodology, results, discussion, and conclusion (Saidi & Saiedi, 2020). After that, popular publications typically do not rely on research on a discussed topic, primarily focusing on a discussion of relevant points. Contrastingly, academic sources must incorporate many credible materials, such as other publications on the investigated phenomenon, results of similar studies, and theoretical frameworks.
Another vital contrast is the peer-review requirement, essential for publishing scholarly articles. Other researchers must thoroughly assess the materials provided by the authors to exclude bias and establish the text’s credibility; popular articles, on the other hand, can be issued without the peer-review process. Furthermore, popular sources are frequently written by authors with a journalist background, and the writers’ affiliations are usually not assessed. In contrast, academic sources must be produced by scholars with a university background and a scholarly degree in the appropriate field (Saidi & Saiedi, 2020). Finally, scholarly research is published by credible journals focusing on the studies in a given topic; such journals have an academic background and are well-recognized among the scientific community. Popular sources, however, may be issued by various types of agencies, from reputable magazines to web-based platforms.
The two resources chosen for this discussion pertain to food and water security solutions. The popular article is a discussion post published by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFRPI), which describes how water management is necessary for improving food and water security (Rosegrant, 2019). The strength of the popular source is its coverage of the food and water access issues encountered by a variety of countries all over the world. In addition, the information from this text can be utilized to create global approaches to resolving food and water scarcity. Nevertheless, this article is not based on research evidence or other reliable sources, which is a great disadvantage that decreases the publication’s reliability. Additionally, such bias as overreliance on public policies can be noted, as the author only focuses on the advantages of social programs in mitigating food and water insecurity.
The academic source, written by Ren et al. (2019), evaluates how terahertz sensing could be implemented when ensuring food and water security. This research’s benefit is a comprehensive evaluation of how electromagnetic radiation can enhance biomedical imaging, packaged goods inspection, and food inspection. The results were gained using reliable data collection and analysis procedures. However, a significant limitation is that the scholars do not suggest any specific approaches to implementing electromagnetic radiation for addressing food and water pollution. Furthermore, the article appears to be based on open-source research only, which might be a potential bias and a significant limitation, as many credible studies are not open-sourced.
The discussed scholarly source is visually distinct from the popular source due to its structure. In the academic article, specific sections are outlined, with the subheadings highlighted in bold; the popular source’s text is not divided. After that, the scholarly publication has an abstract that presents the essential information about the paper. Another evident contrast is the presence of a title page, which demonstrates where the academic research was published and suggests a citation; the popular source, on the other hand, has no title page. Furthermore, the scholarly article includes graphs and figures to help visualize particular concepts (Ren et al., 2019). Finally, a reference list is given at the end of the academic research, and the popular source only includes information about the author and the publishing organization.
References
Ren, A., Zahid, A., Fan, D., Yang, X., Imran, M. A., Alomainy, A., & Abbasi, Q. H. (2019). State-of-the-art in terahertz sensing for food and water security – A comprehensive review. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 85, 241–251.
Rosegrant, M. (2019). Food security depends on water security – and we need to act now. International Food Policy Research Institute.
Saidi, M., & Saiedi, M. (2020). How do scientists reach their target audience? Academic and popular science articles in nutrition. Nutrition and Food Sciences Research, 7(4), 1–6.