AUTHORITY
Scholarly journal
articles will indicate
authors and their
academic credentials;
popular magazines may
not always list the
author. |
- research articles
list the author(s)
clearly and
prominently, as well
as the author's
credentials
(degrees, positions,
etc.)
-
research article
authors are most
often clearly
affiliated with an
academic or research
institution
- an address is
provided for readers
to contact the
author at his or her
institution or
academic department
|
CITATION
Scholarly journal
articles will include
footnotes, endnotes,
bibliographies, or
reference lists; popular
magazine articles rarely
do. |
-
scholarly journal
articles should
always indicate
sources of
information that
were used, read, or
cited in the article
-
scholarly journal
articles almost
always include
footnotes or
endnotes
-
popular magazine
articles may
attribute sources in
a more indirect or
less formal manner,
or not at all
|
CONTENT
Scholarly journal
articles focus on
research; popular
magazines focus on
current events & topics
of general interest, and
include lots of ads for
consumer products. |
-
the article goes
beyond "general
interest," and is
written for experts
in the field - those
who already know
quite a bit about
the topic and its
development
-
the writing style of
the article may be
technical and
detailed
-
scholarly research
articles are often
long and complex
-
the publication does
not include a lot of
advertisements for
consumer products;
ads are limited to
scholarly or
academic products
and services
|
PEER REVIEW
Scholarly journal
articles are checked by
subject experts for
research accuracy &
importance before being
published; popular
magazines may not be as
rigorous. |
-
the publication
lists its editors or
an editorial board,
and the academic or
institutional
affiliations of
these people
-
the publication says
that it is a "peer
reviewed" journal
-
the publication
provides a style
guide or other rules
to follow for those
wanting to submit a
paper
-
the publisher is an
academic institution
or scholarly
association
|
POINT OF SALE
Where you find
publications for sale
may be a clue. It may
be difficult to locate
scholarly journals at
all outside of research
libraries; popular
magazines are usually
much easier to find. |
-
scholarly journals
may be found for
sale in larger, or
academic,
bookstores;
otherwise, they are
typically found in
research library
collections
-
popular magazines
may be found in many
places, including
discount stores,
supermarkets,
newsstands,
bookstores, and
elsewhere
-
public libraries
often collect
popular magazines,
but rarely collect a
great variety of
scholarly research
journals
|
PUBLICATION
FREQUENCY
Scholarly journals are
usually published two,
four, or six times a
year; popular magazines
may be published daily,
weekly, or monthly. |
-
the publication is
released less
often than daily or
monthly
-
issues may be
thicker and
physically more
substantial than
popular magazines,
because published
less frequently
|
VISUAL APPEAL
Visual
layout and design of
scholarly journals focus
most often on text,
graphs, charts, and
tables; popular
magazines may focus on
glossy color
photographs of people,
products, and places. |
-
scholarly journals
for most fields
(except fields such
as art and design)
tend to be
text-based
-
front covers of
scholarly journals
often list contents,
authors, or may
feature a simple
design that is
repeated for each
issue; contents are
listed to attract
scholarly research
interest
-
popular magazines
may feature
photographs of
celebrities or other
flashy, glossy front
covers; contents may
be described in a
commercial or
exaggerated manner
meant to attract
attention
|
