It is important to distinguish journalism from scholarship.  Scholarly writing MUST include citations and footnotes; it also usually undergoes a rigorous peer review process.  Journalistic publications do not impose the same requirements, and the intention of a work of journalism is often very different than a work of scholarship.  The purpose of citations in scholarly writing is to engage and continue a scholarly conversation about a particular intellectual consideration by allowing the reader to find the source of an idea, interpretation, opinion, or data.

Much of what has been written about the Middle East is by journalists, or are books intended for popular audiences.  When working with a "popular" or "journalistic" source, it is important to confirm the following:

• affiliations and experience of the author
• intended audience for the piece
• affiliations and history of the magazine or newspaper (who is the editor, owner etc.)