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. |
- scholarly: 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
- scholarly: the writing style of the article may be technical and
detailed
- scholarly research articles
are often long
and complex
- scholarly: 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. |
- scholarly: the publication lists its editors or an editorial board,
and the academic or institutional affiliations of these people
- scholarly: the publication says that it is a "peer
reviewed" journal
- scholarly: the publication provides a style guide or other rules to
follow for those wanting to submit a paper
- scholarly: 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. |
- scholarly journals: the publication is released less often than daily or
monthly
- scholarly journals: issues may be thicker and physically more substantial
than popular magazines; may include more content (more articles) because published less frequently
- scholarly: peer-review
process adds to publication timeline - takes longer to critique
and review submitted articles before they are published
|
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. |
- visual appeal is a strong hint about
the audience the publication seeks
- 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
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