Many indexes (especially those which are online) contain references to both scholarly journals and popular magazines. Telling the difference between the two can be very confusing, as there is no clear-cut definition of what is a scholarly journal.
A scholarly journal will exhibit the majority of the features listed in the comparison table below. If you are in doubt about any specific publication, please consult your instructor or ask a reference librarian for assistance.
FEATURE |
MAGAZINE |
SCHOLARLY JOURNAL |
AUDIENCE | general public | scholars or researchers in a specified field |
STYLE | journalistic; written for the average reader | written for researchers in a specified field |
CONTENT | current events; articles of general interest | specialized articles; research topics limited to specific subject areas |
AUTHORSHIP | journalist; layperson; often author name is not given | expert or researcher in field; author is identified and credentials often noted |
DOCUMENTATION | few or no references or notes | includes notes; cites reference; lists bibliographies |
REVIEW PROCESS | edited/reviewed in-house only | refereed or peer reviewed by outside scholars in the field covered |
APPEARANCE | glossy paper; many pictures (black/white and color) | mostly print; few pictures; no glossy paper |
ADVERTISEMENTS | many, often in color | few if any |
PUBLISHER | commercial publishers | usually professional associations or academic bodies |
FREQUENCY | weekly, monthly, bi-monthly | bi-monthly, quarterly, semi-annually |
INDEXING | general periodical indexes (Reader's Guide, etc.) | subject specific indexes (Humanities Index, Social Sciences Index, etc.) |