Popular vs. Scholarly Articles
This guide will help you understand the differences between popular magazines, scholarly journals, and trade magazines so you can choose the best one for your research.
Need some help in learning how to read a scholarly article? Check out our Reading Scholarly Articles guide!
Helpful Tips
- If in doubt about whether a source is popular, scholarly, or trade, search Ulrich's International Periodicals Directory using the title of the magazine or journal.
- Look at the Document Type for terms such as "academic/scholarly" or "consumer" (also known as "popular").
- Many article databases give the option to limit a search based on the publication type.
Popular Magazines
Scholarly Journals
(Also called academic, peer-reviewed, or refereed)
Trade Magazines
Advertisements
Many ads on a variety of products Usually for scholarly products like books Product ads specific to that industry Audience
General public Scholars, researchers, college students Professionals in the field, general public Author
Staff writers or journalists Scholar or researcher with subject expertise Professional in the field, sometimes a journalist with topic expertise Documentation
None References, footnotes, bibliography Sometimes Illustrations
Color photographs and graphics Charts and graphs that support research Some charts and graphs Language
Easy to read and understand Specialized terminology Some specialized terminology, but not as technical as a scholarly journal Purpose
Articles written to entertain or
to inform
Articles written to inform academic community of facts, new findings, and research; many times the research is original Articles geared towards professionals working in a specific industry; current news, trends, products, and practical information Reviewed By
Editorial staff Editorial board made up of other scholars and researchers with subject expertise Editorial staff (may have expertise in field) Examples
Newsweek, Rolling Stone, Time,
Psychology Today
Advances in Nursing Science, American Philosophical Quarterly, Journal of Abnormal Psychology Harvard Business Review, Communication Arts, American Libraries
This page was last modified on 04/17/2012 by Lauren Wahman.