It is important to distinguish a piece of journalism from a piece of scholarship.  Scholarly writing MUST include citations and footnotes; it also usually undergoes a rigorous peer review process.  Journalistic pieces 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.

Much of what is and 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.)