|
Characteristics |
Scholarly Journal |
Popular Magazine |
|
Length |
Articles are usually 10 pages or more in length; providing in-depth analysis of topics |
Shorter articles (less than 10 pages), providing broader overview of topics |
|
Written by |
Author usually an expert or specialist in the field, name and credentials always provided |
Author usually a journalist or a staff writer, name and credentials often not provided |
|
Language/Written for |
Written in technical language for professors, researchers, students of the field |
Written at high school level for the general public |
|
Coverage |
Original research results and scholarship |
Popular topics and current events |
|
Slant |
Supposed to present objective/neutral viewpoint; |
May reflect the editorial bias/slant of the magazine |
|
Frequency |
Usually quarterly |
Usually weekly |
|
Format/Structure |
Articles usually structured, may include: abstract, literature review, methodology, results, conclusion, bibliography |
Articles do not necessarily follow a specific format or structure |
|
Special Features |
Illustrations that support the text, such as, tables of statistics, graphs, diagrams, maps, or photographs |
Illustrations with glossy paper or color photographs |
|
Appearance |
Serious and sober, with few colors and few or no advertisements |
Glossy, with pictures and advertisements |
|
Editors |
Articles usually reviewed and critically evaluated by a board of experts in the field (known as refereed or peer-reviewed) |
Articles are not reviewed by experts in the field, but by editors on staff |
|
References Cited |
Usually includes a bibliography and/or footnotes |
Usually has no bibliography or footnotes |
|
Examples |
Ecology Social Science Quarterly American Political Science Review
|
Time Newsweek Sports Illustrated Scientific American |
A primary source is original or new material on which other research is based. A secondary source analyzes, evaluates, re-packages, summarizes or reorganizes information reported by researchers in the primary literature. Many books including textbooks, newspaper or magazine articles, encyclopedias, and scholarly review articles are examples of secondary sources.
| Novel |
Article analyzing the novel |
| Painting | Exhibition catalog analyzing the painting |
| Letters and diaries written by a historical figure | Biography of the historical figure |
| Essay by a philosopher | Textbook summarizing the philosopher’s ideas |
| Photographs of a historical event | Documentary about the historical event |
| Government documents about a new policy | Newspaper article about the new policy |
| Music recordings | Academic book about the musical style |
| Results of an opinion poll | Blog post interpreting the results of the poll |
| Empirical study | Literature review that cites the study |
This table created by Raimo Streefkerk, Raimo is an expert in explaining plagiarism and citing sources. He has been writing helpful articles since 2017 and is continuously improving Scribbr's Citation Generators.
