Scholarly vs. Popular
The difference between scholarly journals and popular magazines:
| Scholarly | Popular & General Interest | |
| General Appearance | Serious appearance; may contain graphs, charts, statistics, few pictures, known as "Peer-Reviewed" or "Refereed" or "Academic" | Attractive in appearance, heavily illustrated with photos and ads |
| Writers of Articles |
Authors are often professors at universities, scholars or professionals with extensive experience. They are experts in the field (normally have obtained at least a Master’s Degree or greater in their field of study) |
Usually free-lance or staff writers |
| Audience | College students, faculty, scholars, or researchers | General public |
| Article Length | Longer articles that often provide in-depth research statistics and findings | Shorter articles - often one to three pages in length |
| References | Always cites sources and usually includes endnotes or a lengthy Works Cited page | Sometimes cite their sources. Often no references are provided. |
| Publisher | Often a university, a research institution, or a professional organization | Commercial enterprises or individuals |
| Examples | Academic journals: Journal of Marriage and Family, American Historical Review, Social Problems, New England Journal of Medicine | Magazines: Ebony, Men's Journal, People, Time Magazine, Bloomberg Businessweek |
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