A scholarly article can be identified using the following criteria:

A popular article can be identified using the following criteria:

It provides footnotes or a bibliography.
It is written by a researcher or expert in the field.
The author is usually affiliated with a college or university.
It reports on original research or experimentation.
It may be published by a scholarly professional association or university press.
It has few glossy pictures.
It has graphs and charts as illustrations.

It rarely provides footnotes or a bibliography.
It is written to entertain, is usually short and in simple language.
It is written by a staff or free lance writer, possibly a scholar.
It does not state the qualifications of the author.
It is usually published by commercial enterprises.
It includes pictures or photographs, and is slick in appearance.
It reports on information second or third hand.