Course instructors will often request that you use scholarly or peer-reviewed journals when you write papers.

In general, scholarly journals contain articles that professionals (academic professors and researchers) use to communicate their research to each other.

Popular journals or magazines are written for the general population.

The following guide will help you tell the difference between scholarly and popular journals:
 

• Provides in-depth analysis of subjects

• Reports original research

• Has a bibliography of works cited

• Is usually lengthy (10-30 pgs.)

• Is signed by the author (a sentence about the author's academic background is often included)

• Follows a standard citation format

• Is written in the jargon of the discipline

• Only provides brief information

• Covers news or current events

• Rarely has a bibliography or references

• Is usually short

• Is often unsigned; even if signed, there is usually no information about the expertise of the author

• Usually has an unstructured format

• Has lots of advertisements, glossy photographs, and “eye-catching” colorful illustrations

• Is written for a general audience

Examples
 

Communications Quarterly
Journal of Personality
Sociological Review
European History Quarterly
American Journal of Physics

Wired
Psychology Today
Sports Illustrated
Newsweek
Scientific American
 

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