Scholarly Journals v. Popular Magazine Articles
| Characteristics | Scholarly | Popular |
|---|---|---|
| How can you tell the difference between these two types of periodical articles? |
 |
|
| Length |
Longer articles, providing in-depth analysis of topics |
Shorter articles, providing broader overviews of topics |
| Authorship |
Author usually an expert or specialist in the field, name and credentials always provided |
Author usually a staff writer or a journalist, name and credentials often not provided |
| Language/Audience |
Written in the jargon of the field for scholarly readers (professors, researchers or students) |
Written in non-technical language for anyone to understand |
| Format/Structure |
Articles usually more structured, may include these sections: abstract, literature review, methodology, results, conclusion, bibliography |
Articles do not necessarily follow a specific format or structure |
| Special Features |
Illustrations that support the text, such as tables of statistics, graphs, maps, or photographs |
Illustrations with glossy or color photographs, usually for advertising purposes |
| Editors |
Articles usually reviewed and critically evaluated by a board of experts in the field (refereed) |
Articles are not evaluated by experts in the field, but by editors on staff |
| Credits |
A bibliography (works cited) and/or footnotes are always provided to document research thoroughly |
A bibliography (works cited) is usually not provided, although names of reports or references may be mentioned in the text |