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What is Popular Science?

Scientific writing can come in many formats. Scholarly articles are where scientists write technically about a study they have conducted in order to communicate what they found to the scientific community. Popular science is an interpretation of science for a general audience, not scientists or students. Science entertainment includes picture slideshows and short pieces about science that don't have any sources.

Popular Science vs. Scholarly Publications

Look at the six articles below.  Half are popular science articles, and half are scholarly articles. Match the scholarly article to its matching popular science article.

Write Your Own Popular Science

Pick one of the articles below that sparks your curiosity. Some of the articles are scholarly sources, and some are popular science. After you've read the article and found the main ideas, write your own popular science or entertainment piece.