LibGuides: Scholarly vs Popular Sources: Scholarly vs Popular Periodicals

Scholarly vs Popular

There are three types of publications that may appear in the search results of many social and behavioral sciences databases. These are:

Scholarly sources -- intended for use in support of conducting in-depth research, often containing specialized vocabulary and extensive references to sources. The content has been reviewed by academic peers to ensure the reliability of methods used and the validity of findings. Scholarly sources help answer the "So What?" question in academic writing and lay the foundation for discovering connections between variables, issues, or events.
Popular sources -- intended for a general audience of readers, they are written typically to entertain, inform, or persuade. Popular sources help you answer who, what, when, and where questions and are essential for finding information about current events or issues. Popular sources range from research-oriented [but lacking complete citations to sources] to special interest, agenda-driven publications.
Trade publications -- intended to share general news, trends, and opinions among practitioners in a certain industry or profession. Although generally written by experts, they are not considered scholarly because they are not peer-reviewed and do not focus on advancing new knowledge discovery or reporting research results. Trade journals, however, are an essential source of information in the field of business and specialized industries [e.g., tourism, environmental studies, agriculture, manufacturing, etc.].

Adapted from text originally created by Holly Burt, Behavioral Sciences Librarian, USC Libraries, April 2018.

Scholarly, Trade, & Popular Articles

Scholar vs Popular

Scholarly journals publish original research in the sciences and social sciences, and essays, criticism, and reviews in the humanities. They are subject specific in focus, are written for the use of scholars, and are seldom sold by the issue on newsstands.

audience: scholars, researchers, students, professors and instructors
authorship: authors are experts or researchers in the specific field addressed; author names are noted, often with an indication as to their credentials
documentation: articles contain extensive documentation including notes and bibliographies
review process: articles are refereed or peer reviewed by an outside body of experts in the specific field covered
appearance: scholarly journals are seldom printed on slick or glossy paper and are plain and conservative in appearance; they contain few, if any, pictures or photographs, though graphs and diagrams are used often
advertisements: there is little or no advertising
publishers: usually, though not always, published by professional organizations or academic institutions
frequency: usually quarterly, semi-annually, or even annually
examples: Journal of Applied Psychology, Political Science Quarterly, Modern Fiction Studies

"Periodical types" Calhoun Community College, last updated September 5, 2019 http://lib.calhoun.edu/lib/periodical_types.html

Popular/General Interest Magazines
The term magazine is usually applied to popular or consumer type publications that are generally for sale on newsstands.

audience: presentation style is aimed at general public
authorship: usually written by journalists or staff writers; the author's name may or may not be noted
documentation: there is usually no documentation of sources such as notes, footnotes, or bibliographies
review process: articles printed in magazines are reviewed only by the editorial staff of the publication itself and not by any outside body
appearance: magazines are usually printed on slick, glossy paper and contain both black & white and color pictures and photographs
advertisements:numerous advertisements are included
publishers: commercial publishers
frequency: usually weekly, monthly, or bi-monthly
examples: Time, Newsweek, Sports Illustrated, National Geographic

"Periodical types" Calhoun Community College, last updated September 5, 2019 http://lib.calhoun.edu/lib/periodical_types.html

Industry/Trade Journals
Industry or trade journals contain articles concerning a specific industry. These publications are usually sold only by subscription, though some can be found for sale on the newsstand.

audience: intended to inform those involved in a specific industry or trade
authorship: written by journalists, staff writers, or others in the field being addressed; the author's name may or may not be noted
documentation: generally no documentation of sources such as notes, footnotes, or bibliographies
review process: articles are usually only reviewed in-house and not by any outside body
appearance: trade magazines are usually printed on slick, glossy paper and contain both black & white and color pictures and photographs
advertisements: numerous advertisements are included
publishers: most are published by associations, though some are published by commercial publishers
frequency: usually weekly, monthly, or bi-monthly
examples: Advertising Age, Publishers' Weekly, American Teacher, American Libraries

"Periodical types" Calhoun Community College, last updated September 5, 2019 http://lib.calhoun.edu/lib/periodical_types.html

The term tabloid is usually applied to gossip, sensational headlines and photographs. These publications are generally for sale on newsstands.

audience: presentation style is aimed at general public
authorship: usually written by staff writers; the author's name may or may not be noted
documentation: there is usually no documentation of sources such as notes, footnotes, or bibliographies
review process: articles printed in magazines are reviewed only by the editorial staff of the publication itself and not by any outside body
appearance: magazines are usually printed on slick, glossy paper and contain both black & white and color pictures and photographs. They may be smaller than a typical magazine
advertisements:numerous advertisements are included
publishers: commercial publishers
frequency: usually weekly, monthly, or bi-monthly
examples: New York Daily News, National Enquirer, Weekly World News, Woman's World

Modeled after "Periodical types" Calhoun Community College, last updated September 5, 2019 http://lib.calhoun.edu/lib/periodical_types.html

Scholarly, Popular, & Trade Article Examples

Criteria	Scholarly Journal	Trade Magazine	Popular Magazine
Sample Cover
Sample Article	Positioning, Navigation, and Book Accessing/Returning in an Autonomous Library Robot using Integrated Binocular Vision and QR Code Identification Systems Log into the Portal to view	How to Bring AI into Your Library Log into the Portal to view	Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2018 Log into the Portal to view
Audience	Academics and professionals	People in the business	General public
Authors	Experts or specialists. Unpaid.	Staff writers, industry specialists, or vendor representatives. Paid.	Journalists, staff writers, or freelance writers. Paid.
Editorial Review	Journal editorial board and peer reviewers. Unpaid.	Professional Editors. Paid.	Professional Editors. Paid.
References / Works Cited	Almost always	Sometimes	Rarely

Modeled after NCSU Libraries "Scholarly & Popular Materials" tutorial.