PhAST Track Information Skills Module: Scholarly vs. Popular

You are at university now and it's important to start using scholarly information where ever possible. You can't rely on Wikipedia or Google as the only sources of information any longer. 

Watch the video clip below.  It does a pretty good job of explaining the differnce between scholarly and popular resources and the table on the right is a great place for you to refer to in the future.

There is a third type of journal you will often find:  professional literature, othewise known as

Trade Publications

Trade journals are written for people who work in the industry, by people who work in the industry.  They can contain good information about what people are doing and using in the field.  However, they do not have the same scientific standards as a peer reviewed/scholarly journal, and like a popular journal, the articles are just approved by the editor - they are not seen or approved of by experts in the field.

Many of the articles in a trade journal may have been written by someone who is trying to promote or sell a product, and you should be wary of this.

You should use trade journals to:

• Answer questions about the "social" side of pharmacy - what are people doing or using? what are the current debates and "hot topics"? what is the "word on the street" concerning a particular topic"

You should NOT use trade journals to:

• Provide scientific evidence or prescription advice.  The science in these journals simply isn't reliable.