InfoSkills for Economics and Management

Target audience 

Information sources are designed with specific audiences in mind. Depending on who they're intended for, sources can be divided into three main categories:

• Popular sources
  are intended for a general audience without specialized knowledge of the subject.

• Professional or trade sources
  are authored by and aimed at professionals or practitioners within a specific field or industry, such as medical doctors or business executives. 

© Tilburg University 

• Scholarly or academic sources
  are authored by experts in a specific field and intended to inform other researchers about the latest research developments and theories within that field.

Different types of sources: A comparative overview

The target audience influences every aspect of a source, including the complexity of the content, the overall design, the presence of advertisements, and other features.

Let's explore three examples. [Click on the images to view the corresponding webpages.]

	Popular  Guardian Magazine	Professional Monitor on Psychology	Scholarly Journal of Economic Structures
Advertising	Ads -- typically for retail products, and sponsored content	Ads -- often related to the profession or industry	No (or very little) advertising
Appearance	Slick design, glossy paper (print versions), with color pictures, photos, and illustrations	Slick design, glossy paper (print versions), with color pictures, photos, and illustrations	Plain, serious appearance; may include charts, graphs, or tables
Authors	Journalists, (freelance) writers, or an editorial staff. Articles may be unsigned.	Professionals (incl. journalists) with experience in a particular field, trade, or industry. Articles may be unsigned.	Scholars (academics, researchers) who are experts in a certain field, typically working at a university
Audience	A large, general public	Specialists in a certain profession, trade, or industry (professionals)	Scholars and students of a certain academic field
Language	Language that is easy to understand	Specialist language but less complicated than scholarly language	Specialized, formal terminology from a certain academic field
Purpose	Inform or entertain the audience, promote ideas or viewpoints, and in some cases, sell products.	Share practical information for professionals (incl. news, trends, and product updates) and actively promote education and skill development within the profession or industry.	Share new research, support academic communication, and ensure the quality and credibility of published articles.