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Unique Characteristics of
Scholarly Journal and Popular Magazine Articles
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How can you tell the difference between these two types of periodical articles?
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Scholarly Journal
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Popular Magazine
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How long is the article? |
Usually longer articles, providing in-depth analysis of topics |
Usually shorter articles, providing broader overviews of topics |
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Who wrote the article? |
The author is usually an expert in the field and their name and credentials are almost always provided |
Author is usually a staff writer or a journalist and their name and credentials are often not provided |
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Does the type of language in the article suggest an intended reading audience? |
Written in the jargon of the field for scholarly readers (professors, researchers or students) |
Written in non-technical language for a general audience |
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What is the structure of the article? |
Articles may include these specific sections: abstract, literature review, methodology, results, conclusion, bibliography |
Articles do not necessarily follow a specific format or structure |
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Are there illustrations? |
Tables of statistics, graphs, maps, or photographs that support the text are often included |
Illustrations with glossy or color photographs are usually included for advertising purposes |
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Who are the Editors? |
Articles usually reviewed and critically evaluated by a board of experts in the field (refereed) |
Articles are evaluated by editors on staff |
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Is a bibliography or list of works cited included? |
A bibliography (works cited) and/or footnotes are always provided to document research thoroughly |
A bibliography (works cited) is usually not provided, although names of reports or references may be mentioned in the text |
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Still can't tell the difference? These resources can help:
Magazines for libraries / Located at the Mortola Reference Desk- Call #Z6941.M23
Ulrich's international periodicals directory / Located at the Mortola Reference Desk -Call #Z6941.U5
Design concept from the University of Texas at San Antonio Library, http://www.lib.utsa.edu/Research/Subject/scholarlyguide.html |
