There are many types of publications that may appear in the search of many databases and on the open Internet. The most important of these for college students to understand include:
Adapted from Holly Burt, Behavioral Sciences Librarian, USC Libraries, April 2018. https://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/scholarly
Here are the general differences between scholarly journals and popular magazines:
|
Feature |
Scholarly/Academic |
Popular Magazines |
Trade Journals |
Newspapers |
|
Author |
Scholar in field with stated credentials and affiliations |
Journalist, usually a generalist |
Journalist, often with expertise in field |
Journalist or columnist |
|
Sources |
All sources cited with extensive bibliographies |
No formal citations; sources may be obscure; may provide hyperlinks |
No formal citations; may refer to reports or include a bibliography |
Sources referred to in text only |
|
Editorial Process |
Peer-reviewed by 2-3 experts in the field |
Reviewed by a single editor |
Reviewed by a single editor |
Reviewed by a single editor |
|
Purpose |
To present research findings and expand knowledge in a discipline |
To entertain or inform about current or popular events |
To inform members of a profession of events, products, and techniques |
To inform about current events and issues |
|
Structure of Articles |
Lengthy articles that are often divided into specific sections, including, literature review, methodology, results, discussion, and conclusion |
Mixed-length articles on a wide variety of subjects |
Industry-specific articles of varying lengths reporting news and trends |
Brief articles that may include original research written in a journalistic style |
|
Frequency of Publication |
Annually, semi-annually, quarterly, or monthly |
Monthly or weekly |
Monthly or weekly |
Weekly or daily |
|
Titles |
May contain the words "Journal of", "Review of" or "Annals" and include the name of a discipline or subject area |
Sometimes one word that may address a general theme or subject |
Short and catchy, possibly including the name of a trade or industry |
Usually reflects a city or geographic location |
|
Print Appearance |
Plain covers; primarily black and white text with few graphics; pages may be consecutive across issues |
Glossy and colorful; many full page advertisements |
Glossy with high impact graphics; pictorials of industry events and industry-related advertisements |
Newsprint; articles formatted in columns, sometimes across pages in a section |
|
Language |
Academic writing style that includes discipline-specific jargon or technical terms |
Simple and non-technical |
Mix of jargon and technical terminology |
Mix of simple and sophisticated |
|
Illustrations |
Complex tables or graphs to display research data |
Photos and colorful graphics for visual effect |
Colorful graphics and photos |
Black and white or color photos and graphics |
|
Advertisements |
Limited to books, other journals in the field, and professional meetings |
Very frequent |
Frequent, and related to a specific trade or industry |
Very frequent |
|
Intended Audience |
Scholars, researchers, scientists, students |
General public |
Industry members |
General public |
|
Value and Usefulness in Research |
Critical to understanding and analyzing topics in detail |
Limited, but news magazines, are useful for following current events |
Limited to news and trends in specific industries |
Essential to following current events, especially for local coverage of issues |
Adapted from Scholarly Journals versus Popular Publications, USC Libraries, 2021. https://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/scholarly