Scholarly vs Popular?
Scholarly Journals or Popular Magazines?
Learn the Difference Between the Two
Do you know the difference between scholarly sources of information (sometimes referred to as academic journals or peer-reviewed journals) and popular sources (sometimes referred to as magazines)? As you choose sources for your research, it is important to distinguish between the two. Below is a chart that should help you make that distinction and guide the research process.
| SCHOLARLY or PEER REVIEWED | ||
|---|---|---|
| JOURNAL ARTICLES | POPULAR MAGAZINES | |
| Length | Longer articles, providing in-depth analysis of topics | Shorter articles, providing broader overviews of topics |
| Authorship | Author usually an expert or specialist in the field; name and credentials always provided | Author usually a staff writer or a journalist, name and credentials often not provided |
| Language/ Audience |
Written in the jargon of the field for scholarly readers, professors, researchers or students | Written in non-technical language for anyone to understand |
| Format/ Structure |
Articles usually include: abstract, literature review, methodology, results, conclusion, bibliography | Articles do not necessarily follow a specific format or structure |
| Special Features | Illustrations that support the text, like tables of statistics, graphs, maps, or photographs | Illustrations with glossy or color photographs, usually for advertising purposes |
| Editors | Articles usually reviewed and critically evaluated by a board of experts in the field (refereed or peer reviewed) | Articles are not evaluated by experts in the field, but by editors on staff |
| Credits | A bibliography (works cited) and/or footnotes always provided to document research | A bibliography (works cited) is usually not provided, although names of reports or references may be mentioned in the text |