Scholarly / Refereed / Peer Reviewed vs Popular Magazines
Webster's Third New International Dictionary defines Scholarly as: 1) concerned with academic study, especially research, 2) exhibiting the methods and attitudes of a scholar, and 3) having the manner and appearance of a scholar. Popular means" adapted to the understanding and tastes of the majority."
It is often difficult to determine the difference between scholarly and popular magazines. Keeping the definitions in mind, the following guidelines are meant to assist students in determining whether a journal is scholarly or popular. However, these are guidelines only, not absolute criteria. When in doubt regarding the quality of a resource in any format, consult a Reference Librarian or your professor.
| Scholarly / Refereed / Peer Reviewed Journals |
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| Scholarly journals are generally published by professional organizations or academic institutions. | Magazines tend to be published by commercial businesses or individuals. |
| Scholarly journal articles are written by scholars in their subject area or someone who has done research in a specific subject area. Authors are always named, and their institutional affiliation is given. | Magazine articles may be written by staff members, free lance writers, or may be anonymous. |
| Journal covers and pages tend to be plain in design, without advertisements. Non-text elements may be limited to charts, graphs, and tables showing numerical data, with few glossy pages or pictures. | Magazines tend to come in many formats, often slick and attractive. They also tend to contain many graphics, color photographs, and advertisements, etc. |
| Journals contain language specific to the discipline covered. It assumes some scholarly background of the reader. Articles tend to be longer. | Magazine articles tend to be written in simple language, designed to meet a minimal education level. Articles tend to be shorter, with little content depth. |
| Journal articles tend to be peer-reviewed or refereed. | Magazine articles are not peer-reviewed. |
| Journal articles tend to always cite their sources in the form of footnotes or bibliographies. | Magazine articles rarely, cites its sources. Generally there are no footnotes or bibliographies. Information is often second or third hand and original source is often obscure. |
| Journal title may include terms such as "journal," "review," or "bulletin." | Magazine titles do not contain such terms. |
| Journal articles tend to report on original research in order to make the information available to the rest of the scholarly world. | Magazine articles are designed to entertain, promote a viewpoint, or sell a product. |
| Journals tend to be published less often, (monthly, quarterly, semi-annually). | Magazines tend to be published more often, (monthly, weekly, daily). |
Scholarly vs Popular Magazines on the Web
Distinguishing Scholarly Journals from Other Periodicals - Cornell University Library
Popular Magazines vs. Scholarly Journals - Duke University Libraries
Popular Magazines vs Trade Magazines vs Scholarly Journals - Colorado State University Libraries
What is a Scholarly Journal? - Hunter Library @ Western
Carolina University
Excerpts of this site taken from "Carleton College Library Instruction: Scholarly vs. Popular Journals" webpage, and "University of Texas at San Antonio Library": Scholarly Journal vs Popular Magazine Article webpage.10/15/01; Compiled by: Cheryl Holland / Reference Librarian - Olin Library; cholland@wustl.edu