What is a scholarly journal? A popular maganize? A trade journal?
What is a scholarly journal? A popular magazine? A trade journal?
For many academic research projects, instructors will require that your research include articles from scholarly journals rather than magazines. Many indexes and online databases include references to scholarly articles, popular magazines, and trade journals. Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference, but here are some things to look for. If you're not sure, ask your instructor or a librarian. (See also Evaluating Resources).
| Scholarly Journals | Popular Magazines | Trade Journals | |
| Examples | College English, Journal of Marriage and the Family |
Discover, Time |
Advertising Age, Supermarket News
|
| Sources | Cite sources with footnotes and bibliographies | Occasionally cite sources | Sometimes cite sources |
| Editing/ Review |
Articles undergo blind reviews by other scholars
|
Articles are not necessarily reviewed, but may be reviewed by employees of the magazine | Articles undergo reviews by editorial boards and anonymous reviews |
| Audience | Scholars, researchers, students in the academic field | General public | Members of a specific industry, trade, or profession |
| Content | Reporting of original research, theory, and substantial review articles; may report research as news items | Feature stories, opinion pieces, and editorials on topics of general interest | Articles on current trends, events, and issues in a particular industry |
| Authors | Articles are signed; they are written by scholars, experts, or professors who want credit for their scholarship |
Many articles are unsigned or written by members of the editorial staff
|
Articles are written by staff writers and experts in the field
|
| Language | Use terminology, jargon, & language of the subject. Reader is assumed to have a scholarly background |
Use simple language, high school or lower.
|
May use the terminology and language of the trade or industry |
| Length/ Coverage |
Articles are long and are usually focused on a specific subject | Articles tend to be shorter and cover a variety of subjects | Articles usually are shorter; may look at industry trends, specific companies or products, etc. |
| Purpose | Purpose of the publication is to disseminate research findings | Purpose of the publication is to disseminate research findings | Purpose is to publicize current topics in the field and professional issues |
| Advertising | Few, if any ads | Many and glossy | Ads targeted to those in the field |
| Appearance | May have a "serious," unattractive cover; few illustrations, but may have graphs and charts | Usually have attractive covers; colorful illustrations and many ads | May have a format similar to popular magazines (attractive covers, etc.); advertising will appeal to those in the field |
| Indexed | Usually included in an index that has a specific subject focus; for example, Social Work Abstracts | Usually included in a general index; for example, The Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature |
Usually included in a specialized index; for example, Business & Industry |
"Refereed" or "Peer Reviewed" Journals
"Peer review" is the process through which experts in a field of study examine and assess the quality of articles before they are published. Peer review insures that the research described in a journal's articles is sound and of high quality.
Sometimes the term "refereed" is used instead of peer reviewed.
Lists found in:
- Ulrich's International Periodicals Directory. 5 volumes. (Located at the Reference Desk in Minneapolis and St. Paul)
Search the title index for the journal title in Volume 4 which will identify the page number in volumes 1-3. Look for "Refereed" in the record. - The Serials Directory (subscribed resource; UST users only)
Search for the title of the journal. Look for "Peer Rev: YES" in the record.
USE BOTH PUBLICATIONS. Neither has a whole list, but together they are nearly complete.
