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Popular Sources (Magazines & Newspaper articles) |
Scholarly Sources (Journal articles) |
| About | GENERAL INTEREST or POPULAR MAGAZINES do not undergo peer review. They usually have an attractive format with photos and illustrations. They are frequently written for a general audience by a staff or scholarly writer. The language is simple and easy to understand. The purpose of these publications is to provide general information, entertain, and sometimes sell products. They are published by commercial enterprises for profit. Use popular interest journals if you only require general information about a topic. Do not expect to find substantial detail or in-depth analysis | SCHOLARLY JOURNALS are often refereed to as peer-reviewed, academic or refereed journals. They contain articles that have undergone a review process by selected experts in the field before being accepted for publication. They have a serious format and usually have charts and graphs to illustrate concepts. All of the sources are cited with footnotes and/or a bibliography. Scholars or researchers in a specific discipline or field write the articles. The material uses the terminology and language of the discipline and, the reader is expected to have a similar background. The purpose of these journals is to report or make research available to the scholarly world. Many of these journals are published by a professional organization. Use scholarly journals if you need verifiable and highly credible information. Scholarly journals often feature primary research with detailed analysis |
| Appearance | Attractive appearance, Eye-catching cover Pictures and illustrations in color Glossy paper |
Usually plain cover May contain graphs, charts or case studies Plain paper |
| Audience | Non-professionals, General public Written in non-technical language |
Professors, scholars, researchers, or students Written in the technical language of the field |
| Authors | Journalist or professional writers | Researchers, scholars, faculty |
| Content | Personalities, news, and general interest articles A wide variety of subjects Articles written by staff, may be unsigned |
Report original research, discoveries, or experimentation; specific topics Publish research projects, their methodology, and significance Articles written by contributing authors, with institution indicated |
| Advertisements | Heavy | Few or none |
| Reviewers | Reviewed by editors | Reviewed by editors, peers, and referees |
| Publisher | Commercial | Professional associations, academic institutions, commercial publisher |
| Frequency | Published on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis | Published on a monthly, quarterly, or annual basis |
| Documentation | Few or no bibliographic references | Bibliographic references (footnotes, end notes, etc.) |
| Examples |
National Geographic |
Biology of the Cell |
Adapted from https://libguides.utoledo.edu/journalvsmagazine