Research Guides: MUSL 1670, "Rap and Hip Hop Culture": Scholarly vs Popular Sources

Scholarly Source versus Popular Sources

Whether you are searching the Library Catalog, a database, Google, or Google Scholar, it's hard to determine a scholarly source from a popular source because all the search results are lumped together. Before you start searching consider the following criteria for a scholarly versus a popular source. You will need two scholarly sources for your paper.

Scholarly Journal Criteria

Audience: academics and professionals
Authors: experts or specialists (often unpaid)
Review Process: editorial board and peer reviewers (unpaid)
Reference or works cited include: yes
Example of a journal title: Journal of Popular Music Studies
Continued evaluation: does the journal of a stated purpose? What do the article titles look like in the journal? Can you name the editor? Have you investigated the author?

Popular Magazine Criteria

Audience: general public or people in the business
Authors: staff writers, journalists, freelance (paid)
Review Process: Editors (paid)
References of works cited included: sometimes but not often
Example of a popular magazine: Billboard
Continued evaluation: does the journal of a stated purpose? What do the article titles look like in the journal? Can you name the editor? Have you investigated the author?

Finding Scholarly Sources

Scholarly Sources can be academic journals and books. You can search for these using a Library Catalog search or by using our databases. Remember to use the criteria when evaluating if the source is scholarly or popular.

Search the following databases:

Library Search This link opens in a new window
Check out the Library Search which finds print and electronic items, including journal and newspaper articles, book chapters, books, reviews, legal documents, and much more. Note: Due to licensing restrictions, some content is only available to current students, faculty, and staff.
Search help: https://www.library.vanderbilt.edu/searchhelp/
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Large and important archive for academic journals, books, and primary sources in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Many journals do not have current issues.
Bloomsbury Popular Music This link opens in a new window
Explores the historical origins and cultural impact of popular music, influential artists and albums, local music scenes and subcultures, musical form, instruments, the workings of the music industry, and the social, political, and economic context of different musical genres.
Music Periodicals Database This link opens in a new window
Indexing and abstracts for music periodicals; includes including music education, performance, ethnomusicology, musical theatre, theory, popular music forms and composition.
Rock's Backpages This link opens in a new window
Archive of music journalism: articles, reviews, and interviews from mainstream music publications and zines. Audio interviews.

Finding Popular Sources

Popular Sources can be found using the library catalog, databases, or a Google search. These include magazines, newspaper articles, and websites. Remember to use the criteria when evaluating if the source is scholarly or popular.

Search the following databases:

Rock's Backpages This link opens in a new window
Archive of music journalism: articles, reviews, and interviews from mainstream music publications and zines. Audio interviews.
New York Times (ProQuest Historical Newspapers) This link opens in a new window
First-hand accounts and unparalleled coverage of the politics, society and events of the time.
Vendor Tutorial: https://proquest.libguides.com/proquestplatform
ProQuest Historical Newspapers This link opens in a new window
Historical access to the following newspapers: Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta Daily World, The Baltimore Afro-American, The Boston Globe, The Chicago Defender, The Christian Science Monitor, Chicago Tribune, The Cincinnati Enquirer, Cleveland Call & Post, The Commercial Appeal, Detroit Free Press, The Globe and Mail, Hartford Courant, The Jerusalem Post, The Jewish Advocate, The Jewish Exponent, Korea Times, Knoxville News Sentinel, Leftist Newspapers, Los Angeles Sentinel, Los Angeles Times, Louisville Courier Journal, Michigan Chronicle, New York Amsterdam News, The New York Times, New York Tribune, Norfolk Journal & Guide, The Philadelphia Tribune, Pittsburgh Courier, San Francisco Chronicle, South China Morning Post, St. Louis Post Dispatch, The Tennessean, The Times of India, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post.

Search the following magazines:

Billboard
Limited access to full-text in Music Periodicals Database
Rolling stone
Limited access to full-text in Music Periodicals Database