This document compares scholarly and popular sources across four major criteria: purpose, authority, audience, and content. Scholarly sources are intended to report original research, are written by experts and published by reputable publishers, use specialized language for other experts, and contain in-depth analysis, references, and research. Popular sources are intended to entertain or inform general audiences, are often written by non-experts, use informal language, and contain summaries and eye-catching graphics instead of in-depth analysis.