Journal articles: Summary
Research or scholarly articles generally have several characteristics that define them. They:
- are written by and for academic faculty, researchers and/or experts
- use technical or field-specific vocabulary
- give full bibliographic references (AKA a "Works Cited List")
- are published mostly in academic journals, with titles like the American Journal of Sociology
- are generally sober and serious in tone
- may have charts, graphs and table but are not glossy and colorful like magazines
- often report results of research
The most prestigous research articles are "peer-reviewed", meaning they are edited by an expert panel.
Trade Magazines
Some publications may fall into a third category between popular magazines and scholarly journals. These are called Trade Publications, and generally have the characteristics of magazines in appearance, but are focused on a specific industry or trade. These:
- Are directed toward members of a specific business, industry, or organization
- Discuss industry news, trends, new products or techniques
- Published by trade associations
- Have few or no bibliographic references
Characteristics of Journals vs. Magazines
Below is a listing of general characteristics which can be used to identify differences between popular magazines and scholarly journals. Some magazines and journals, however, may not meet all the criteria in any one category. Some publications may mix 'magazine' content with more scholarly 'journal articles', so judge by the individual article as well as the entire publication. Besides, with the availability of full text articles from databases, it may be difficult to judge characteristics of the publication as a whole.
| Popular Magazines | Scholarly Journals* | |
| Appearance | Attractive appearance, Eye-catching cover Pictures and illustrations in color Glossy paper |
Plain cover |
| Audience |
Non-professionals, General audience |
Professors, scholars, researchers, or students Written in the technical language of the field |
| Content | Personalities, news, and general interest articles A wide variety of subjects Articles written by staff, may be unsigned |
Report original research, discoveries, or experimentation Publish research projects, their methodology, and significance Articles written by contributing authors, with institution indicated |
| Advertisements | Heavy | Few or none |
| Reviewers | Reviewed by editors | Reviewed by editors, peers, and referees |
| Documentation | Few or no bibliographic references | Bibliographic references (footnotes, end notes, etc.) |
| Examples |
National Geographic |
Biology of the Cell Social Forces School Science Review Journal of Health Care Management |
*sometimes also referred to as 'academic', 'refereed' or 'peer reviewed' articles
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