| Type | Popular source | Type | Scholarly source |
| Who? | Designed for a wide audience. | Who? | Designed for a limited audience. |
| What? | A TV program, general news article, popular science book, etc. | What? | A "journal" article or presentation. |
| Where? | Any mainstream method of transmitting and sharing information. (TV, radio, news site, | Where? | Usually located in restricted or limited-access databases for university scholars and students. |
| When? | Could be around for a long time, may or may not "change with the times." | When? | Reflects the latest findings and developments, but also understands and references past knowledge. |
| Why? | To offer a basic understanding to a wide range of people. | Why? | To go in-depth on a topic that people specifically study. |