Scholarly Journals vs. Popular Magazines vs. Newspapers:
How To Tell the Difference
| Scholarly/Academic | Popular Magazines | Trade Journals | Newspapers |
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| Author is usually... | Scholar in field, academic or researcher | Staff writer, journalist, often a generalist | Staff writer, journalist often with expertise in field | Staff writer, journalist |
| Credits sources? | Always many references and/or footnotes | Rarely cites sources
Original sources may be obscure | Rarely cites sources | Rarely cites sources |
| Structure of articles | Long (10+ page) articles with sections such as: Abstract, literature review, methodology, results, conclusion | Brief articles, unless feature | Brief articles, unless feature | Brief articles, unless feature |
| Look & Feel... | "Looks like a book"
no color, no ads | Glossy, graphics, full page advertisements | Glossy, graphics, advertisements, many are large format | Newsprint |
| Audience... | Scholars, academics, researchers | General public | Industry members or stakeholders | General public, some with slant (for instance, Wall Street Journal for business people) |
How to Search:
Databases to Use | Ebscohost, JSTOR, and ProQuest - Choose the peer reviewed limiter | ProQuest, InfoTrac, and Ebscohost scan for shorter articles | Factiva | Factiva, LexisNexis Academic |
Beware of Book Reviews
Book reviews often appear in scholarly journals, although they provide a critical review of a book, they may not meet your professor's requirements of using a scholarly work. Check the Library Catalog to find the actual book that's been reviewed.
Unsure of a Source? Ask at Information Desk or your Professor.
