VGCC Library Services: Library Instruction Session for ACA 115: Scholarly Journals vs. Popular Magazines

Scholarly Journals vs. Popular Magazines
What's the Difference?


Characteristics	Scholarly Journals	Popular Magazines
Title Examples	American Journal of Psychiatry Child Development Journal of Studies on Alcohol Social Science Quarterly	Rolling Stone Men's Health People Surfer
Appearance	Few ads No photos, but may contain charts and/or graphs. Serious-looking Articles tend to be long, more than 5 pages. Articles contain specialized vocabulary	Lots of advertisements Photos Fun, colorful Articles tend to be short, less than 5 pages. Articles are highly readable.
Authors	Written by scholars in a specific field, usually affiliated with college or university	Staff writers, usually generalists in a given subject area
Documentation	Articles contain a comprehensive bibliography.	Articles do not contain a bibliography.
Purpose	Reports on original research findings.	Provides general information about topics, with little technical detail.
Article Publication Policy	Other scholars (peers) in the field review the article before it can be published, a process called "peer review."	Edited by magazine editors before the article is published.
Cost	Subscriptions are expensive.	Subscriptions are inexpensive.

Adapted from Scholarly Journals vs. Popular Magazines, Duke Libraries.