See our Journal Articles guide to learn more about finding articles for your research.
Access all JSTOR archival journal collections, now also including Sustainability, Public Health, Security Studies, and more.
Use the chart below to help you distinguish between scholarly journal articles and popular magazines.
|
SCHOLARLY JOURNALS |
MAGAZINES |
NOTES |
Includes notes and/or bibliography |
Few references or no bibliography |
AUDIENCE |
Written for experts, shows research |
Written for average reader |
PAGE LENGTH |
Usually more than 5 pages |
Often less than 5 pages |
ADS |
Few or none; if any, advertising books and other "scholarly" items |
Many, often in color |
LOOK |
Mostly text and charts |
Glossy, many pictures often in color |
LOCATION |
Usually only available through a library (often via a library's website) |
Title can be found at newsstand or through a bookstore |
EXAMPLE TITLES |
|
Newsweek, Maxim, Time, Good Housekeeping |
See also our Differences Between Scholarly Journals & Popular Magazines guide (PDF format).
What is a “peer-reviewed” journal?
Common elements of a scholarly or “peer-reviewed” journal article
Abstract – What is this article about? The abstract is a concise summary.
Introduction – What is the key problem, issue, or question?
Method – How will the author investigate the problem? With a laboratory test? Or a survey? Or another type of study?
Results – Research findings, including observations, statistics, graphs, etc.
Discussion / Conclusion – What did the author learn? What did the study prove? What questions are still unanswered?
References – What other scholarly articles did the author consult when conducting this research and writing this article?