Do you have trouble distinguishing between journal articles and magazine articles? When is it best to use each? What does "peer-reviewed" or "refereed" mean in relation to a journal article? Explore the following links to determine the answers to these questions, and more:
Use the following table contrasting the general characteristics of both journal and magazine articles to help you differentiate between them.
| Characteristics |
Scholarly
Journal |
Magazine |
| General Appearance |
- Much text
- Few if any illustrations
- Many charts, graphs, equations
- In electronic format: Cover won't show; illustrations/charts may not show
|
- Glossy
- Many illustrations,
often in color
- Few charts, graphs
- No equations
- In electronic format: Cover won't show; illustrations/charts may not show
|
| Length |
- Longer, often 10+ pages
- Provides in-depth analysis of topics
- In electronic format: Obvious in e-version
|
- Shorter, often under 5 pages
- Provides broader overviewof topics
- In electronic format: Obvious in e-version
|
References |
- Includes a bibliography or works cited list at the end of the article to document sources
- May include extensive footnotes also
- In electronic format: Obvious in e-version
|
- Usually does not include a bibliography or footnotes
- In electronic format: Obvious in e-version
|
| Authorship |
- Author is usually an expert/specialist in the field
- Author's name and credentials/affiliation are always provided
- In electronic format: If available, obvious in e-version
|
- Author is usually a staff writer or freelance journalist, not an expert in the field
- Author's name and credentials/affiliation are often not included
- In electronic format: If available, obvious in e-version
|
| Editing Process:
Peer-Reviewed / Refereed?
Or Not? |
- Scholarly journal articles are usually evaluated critically before publication by several independent experts in the field.
- This evaluation process is called peer review or refereeing.
- After these scholarly articles are peer-reviewed or refereed, they are either published if deemed worthy, or are rejected.
- In electronic format: In some electronic databases, an option to limit a search to scholarly (peer-reviewed) or refereed online journals is available.
|
|
| Audience |
- Written in technical language
- Intended for scholarly readers (professors, students, researchers)
- In electronic format: Obvious in e-version
|
- Written in everyday, non-technical language
- Intended for the general reading public
- In electronic format: Obvious in e-version
|
| Format / Structure |
- Often very structured
- Often report results of research studies
- Often feature sections such as
- Abstract
- Literature Review
- Methodology
- Results
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- In electronic format: Obvious in e-version
|
- Relatively unstructured
- Do not usually report research results
- Usually do not have standard sections typical of research reports
- In electronic format: Obvious in e-version
|
| Advertising |
- Few, if any, ads
- If any, ads are usually for books, professional conferences, other journals.
- No ads for commercial consumer products.
- In electronic format: Typically, ads do not appear in e-version
|
- Many color ads
- Ads feature consumer products
- In electronic format: Typically, ads do not appear in e-version
|
| Publisher |
- Often published by professional associations, academic honor societies, etc.
- In electronic format: May not be obvious in e-version
|
- Usually published by commercial enterprises or individuals
- In electronic format: May not be obvious in e-version
|
Examples: |
- Journal of Marriage and the Family
- Studies in Short Fiction
|
- Time
- Psychology Today
- New Yorker
|
| Best to use when: |
- You need a scholarly, in-depth treatment of a topic about which you already know the basics
|
- You need a broad overview of the basics on a topic with which you're unfamiliar
|
| Characteristics |
Scholarly
Journal |
Magazine |
Differentiating Between Journal and Magazine Articles