audience
When attempting to identify the suitability of a resource, another very important indicator will concern whether the resource is written for a general audience or for more scholarly folk and experts/specialists in a field.
If you are having difficulty in determining the intended audience, look at the language used in the resource. Is it very technical language that is specific to a particular field or discipline? Usually only experts in the field will have a strong working knowledge of the specific terminology that is used in that particular discipline. Another consideration would involve the format in which the information is published. It is generally true that those works published in scholarly journals are intended for academic individuals, especially considering that these journals typically require registration for access. Websites on the other hand, are generally available to the public. As such, you can typically expect these kinds of resources are intended for a more general audience.
