Differences Between Popular Magazines and Scholarly Journals

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN POPULAR MAGAZINES AND SCHOLARLY JOURNALS

Characteristics of Magazines:

Articles describe a study or a research project that has been done or tell general facts about a subject
Intended for the general public
Usually published more frequently (weekly, biweekly)
Language is simple and style is more "newsy"
Tries to catch the interest of readers with photographs and other color illustrations
Usually does not have a bibliography at the end of the article
Usually has a shorter article length
Author does not have to be a member of the field he/she is writing about
Usually contains advertisements
Publisher is usually a corporation
Each issue's pages are numbered individually
Articles are indexed in general indexes
Issues are widely available and can be purchased in many stores

Characteristics of Scholarly Journals:

Articles contain original research and original interpretation of data and texts (includes studies, experiments, historical research)
Intended for professionals, scholars, and students of a specific field
Usually published less frequently (bimonthly, quarterly)
Language is more technical and specific to the field
Usually has no pictures but may contain charts to show research data
Usually contains a bibliography at the end of the article
Usually has a longer article length
Author is a qualified member of the field
Contains few advertisements unless it is for an item used in the field
Publisher is usually a scholarly association or university
Pages are continuously numbered throughout a volume
Articles are indexed in subject-specific indexes

EXAMPLES OF SOME POPULAR MAGAZINE

EXAMPLES OF SOME SCHOLARLY JOURNALS

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