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Popular vs. Scholarly Articles
Library databases contain many different periodicals, including newspapers, magazine articles, and journal articles. How can you tell if you have a found a more popular magazine article or a scholarly article? Many professors prefer (and may require) that you use scholarly articles in your research assignments.
Comparing Articles
| Popular Magazines | Scholarly Journals | |
|---|---|---|
| Audience | General readers | Scholars, researchers, professors, students |
| Purpose | To inform, entertain, and update reader | To broaden existing knowledge of a subject and report on original research |
| Advertisements | Many ads of a wide variety | Few ads, usually specific to the field |
| Authors | Staff writers or free lance. Articles may be unsigned | Scholars/experts, credentials are usually given |
| Publisher | Commercial publishers | University presses, professional associations, some commercial publishers |
| Publication Schedule | Usually weekly or monthly | Publishes less often, commonly monthly or quarterly |
| Language | Easy to read | Technical jargon, often difficult to read |
| Focus | Broad subjects. Gives introductory information, general, opinions | Narrow treatment. Articles are research based and specialized |
| Appearance | More appealing, often glossy and containing many pictures | Less appealing. Contents are mostly text |
| Article Length | Usually short to medium | Usually lengthy, with small print size |
| Documentation | Very little | Extensive bibliographies and footnotes |
| Timeliness | Up-to-date | Timeliness not as important as thoroughness, originality, and in-depth coverage |
| Words in the Titles | No specific words in title. Titles may be cutesy or contain slang | Often contain the words Journal, Bulletin, Review, Research |
| Examples | Time, Newsweek, Psychology Today, Popular Science, New Yorker, Ebony, Forbes, Gourmet, Rolling Stone | American Journal of Nursing, Journal of Applied Psychology, Science, Journal of Popular Culture, Journal of Black Studies, Harvard Business Review |