See our Journal Articles guide to learn more about finding articles for your research.
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?