Library Tutorials: Magazines vs. Journals

Magazines are considered popular works, whereas journals are considered scholarly. But what does that mean?

Popular works are generally aimed at a wide audience. The publisher wants to make a profit by selling copies of their publication. Popular works are easy to read and include many advertisements. The articles are usually written by professional writers or journalists, who may or may not have expertise on the subject they are writing about. Usually the sources consulted are not documented (no bibliography at the end of the article.)

Examples of popular works are magazines such as Good Housekeeping, Newsweek, and Rolling Stone. Newspapers are also considered popular works.

Scholarly journals, on the other hand, are written for an audience of scholars and experts in the field. They are usually published by a university or professional organization. Articles may be quite lengthy and provide original information or new research findings. They are written by scholars and researchers in the field. Most articles have an extensive bibliography of sources consulted.

The articles in scholarly journals are peer reviewed (also known as "refereed.") This means a panel of experts will read an article before it is published. They make sure that study follows protocols in the field, and that the argument is sound.

Examples of scholarly journals are Agronomy Journal, Journal of Gerontology, and Volta Review.

Another category is professional, trade, and industry journals. These are written for people in specific careers. They may use a lot of jargon related to the field and if there are advertisements they are related to the profession or industry.

Examples of professional, trade and industry journals are American Libraries, AG Week, Beef, and RN.

• are often written by journalists for the general public
• use easy-to-understand language
• rarely give citations for sources used
• tend to be shorter than journal articles
• are commonly found online and in bookstores
• contain advertisements

• written for and by faculty and researchers
• use scholarly language
• tend to be longer than magazine articles
• include full reference lists
• sometimes includes in-text citations
• often peer-reviewed (articles that are reviewed and accepted by an editor and other scholars)
• cost more to subscribe to
• articles found in databases and vendor/publisher websites

"Rocket Man: The Mercury Adventure of John Glenn"

"Gas-phase HO-initiated reactions of elemental mercury : Kinetics, product studies, and atmospheric implications"