Researchers publish their work not only for their academic colleagues to read, but also for society at large. This may take the form of articles in the daily press aimed at the general public, textbooks for students and school pupils, or articles for interested members of the public in various specialist magazines. These are usually known as popular science publications.

How to recognize an article in a popular science publication

Articles in popular science publications have in common that they are secondary sources and that the target readership goes beyond the research community. The content can be research-based, but the discussion is more basic, using easily understood language with few specialist terms. Where specialist terms are used, they are often followed by an explanation. References and bibliographies are not generally a requirement in popular science texts. Popular science content is often written by a journalist, rather than a researcher. Illustrations used in popular science are often appealing compared to scientific publications, which often only use tables or models.

Check the journal in Ulrichsweb

If you are unsure whether a journal is scholarly, you can look it up in the Ulrichsweb service. Information on whether a journal is peer reviewed or not is available there. Look for an icon that looks like a referee's shirt . If the icon appears next to the journal (it says "Refereed" when you hover the mouse pointer over the symbol), articles in the journals are reviewed.

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