Scholarly Journals:
- Written by and for faculty, researchers and/or scholars
- Present original research studies and reviews of relevant books in the industry/field
- Reviewed by other experts or peers (i.e. "peer reviewed") before publication
- Use technical and/or scholarly language associated with the subject
- Use citations (footnotes, endnotes, or bibliography/references)
- Share a similar format including: abstract, literature review, methodology, results and conclusion. May also have tables, graphs or illustrations to support arguments made
- Examples: American Journal of Nursing, Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, etc.
Technical/Trade Journals:
- Written by professionals and/or experts in the field
- Present practical information for professionals in the field, including news, trends, job opportunities, and other updates
- Articles are generally brief and the language is straightforward; may contain professional jargon
- May not have a specific format
- Articles are sometimes unsigned or will display the author's credentials
- Reviewed by general editors of the journal
- Advertising is used to appeal to those in the field
- Examples: Adweek, The Lawyer, Nursing Times, etc.
Popular Magazines:
- Written for the general public with easy to understand language and subject appeal
- Glossy cover and photographs
- Many advertisements in the publication
- Articles are edited by magazine editors
- May not have a discernable format
- Authors are usually professional journalists, but may not have any experience/knowledge in the field about which they are writing
- May not have citations or may provide informal citations (even when there are tables, graphs and/or illustrations)
- Examples: TIME, Rollingstone, Newsweek, Psychology Today, People, etc.
- YOU CAN STILL USE POPULAR PERIODICALS FOR YOUR RESEARCH(unless stated by your instructor and these do NOT count as scholarly peer-reviewed articles)! Just make sure to support your use of these articles with scholarly articles, which will have original research and in-depth citations to ensure your information is relevant, accurate and up-to-date
Hunter Library has a great comparison of these types of articlesavailable for more information: http://researchguides.wcu.edu/scholarly
OR watch the following quick, fun video from Kimbel Library about popular vs. scholarly sources (there are sock puppets involved!): http://vimeo.com/13186317