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Type of Periodical
Magazine or scholarly journal?
| Characteristic | Magazine | Scholarly Journal |
|---|---|---|
| Advertising | Extensive | Selective or none |
| Appearance | Slick, glossy, attractive | Plain cover, usually |
| Articles | Frequently, no author indicated or author is journalist; length usually short | Authors included; usually includes some biographical information on author; ALWAYS includes references/sources; usually includes abstract and methodology sections; usually lengthy |
| Audience | Written for general audience | Written for researchers, professionals in field |
| Authors | Written by various authors, frequently journalists | Written by scholars or professionals in a particular field |
| Distribution | Wide; general public | Limited |
| Evaluation | By journalists | By professionals in the same field as subject of article (" Peer-reviewed" ); indicates reliability and credibility of article |
| Graphics | Color photographs, illustrations or drawings to enhance the publication's image | Graphs, charts, tables, other graphics to enhance or illustrate the article |
| Language | Simpler language designed to reach a large audience with various educational levels | Terminology of the discipline or subject covered; reader is assumed to have similar, scholarly background |
| Publisher | Published for profit | Published for professional association or scholarly press |
| Sources | May list sources | MUST include sources |
Bad signs
- A magazine article cites statistics (" 22% of all Americans have been abducted by aliens" )... without giving a source for the information.
- A seemingly important study is only published in a non-peer reviewed publication
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