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Scholarly Journals vs. Popular Magazines |
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Scholarly journals and popular magazines are among the many resources available at Phillips Memorial Library for your research needs. Journals and magazines provide up-to-date information crucial for many of your term papers, reports, and projects. The following table contains examples of various journals and magazines, as well as general criteria that can be used to distinguish between scholarly and popular publications.
It should be noted that not every journal or magazine includes all of
these characteristics. If you are still in doubt regarding the publications or
articles you are consulting, please consult with your professor or a reference librarian.
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Scholarly Journals
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Popular Magazines
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19th Century Music, Journal of the American Medical Association, Early American Literature, Journal of Physical Chemistry, History of Political Thought
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Rolling Stone, Psychology Today, Time, Newsweek, Discover, U.S. News & World Report
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Serious in appearance, with few illustrations; often include charts, graphs, and tables
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Often printed on glossy paper with lavish illustrations and photographs
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Articles are written and reviewed by experts in a field
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Articles composed by staff writers or journalists
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Sources of information are cited using footnotes or bibliographies
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Sources of information not usually cited
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Main purpose is to report on original research or experimentation and to share findings with scholars in a particular field
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Main purpose is to provide general information on a variety of subjects
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Names and scholarly affiliations of authors are always included in articles
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Articles may be published with no credit to the author(s) given
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Audience usually limited to scholars, researchers, and students
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Articles are geared to the general public or to the non-specialist interested in a particular topic
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Much of the language used is characteristic of a particular field; authors of articles usually assume fairly extensive prior knowledge on the part of the reader
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General vocabulary is used that is understood by most readers; prior knowledge of a subject not always assumed
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Prepared by Edward O'Donnell
Reference Librarian
Spring 2006
Added to website: 14 May 2006
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