Depending on the purpose of your research paper or project, it may be necessary to distinguish between scholarly, trade, and popular sources. Use the following guidelines to identify thesea types of publications.
| Scholarly Journals | Trade Magazines | Popular Magazines | |
|
Format/Structure |
Dense text, serious appearance | Some photographs and advertising | Many illustrations and advertisements, attractive in appearance |
| Authorship | Author's credentials are established (e.g., instituional affiliation, degrees earned, etc.) | Authors are active professionals in the field | Authors may not have special qualifications |
|
Audience/Language |
Subject-specific language or jargon | Technical language for professionals | everyday language accessible to a general readership |
| Content | In depth analysis or entensive overview of a topic | Practice how-to articles and news about the field, products, and advancements | Clear and simple discussions of news, entertainment, or other subjects of popular interest |
| Purpose | Presentation of research | Share solutions and development | Provide short, entertaining, or newsy articles |
| Publisher | An organization, institution, or association | Varies | A commercial publisher |
| Editor/Reviewer | Submissions are reviewed by experts in the field | Submissions are reviewed by the publication's editors | Submissions are reviewed by publication's editors or purchased in advance |
| Credits | Sources are cited in footnotes or bibliography | Varies | Sources simetimes are cited for news articles |
| Pagination | Continuous pagination | Each issue paged separately | Varies |
| Examples | Journal of Marketing Research, Child Development, Science Fiction Studies | Publishers Weekly, Advertising Age | Newsweek, Vanity Fair, U.S. New and Workd Report, National Geographic, Atlantic Monthly |