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Often your professor will suggest that you use scholarly* or peer-reviewed** journal articles for your research project. It is not always easy to discern the difference between the three major article types, scholarly, trade and popular. The chart below has been designed to assist, but please consult your professor or a librarian if you are unsure about identifying a particular article in this manner.
| CRITERIA | SCHOLARLY* | TRADE | POPULAR |
| Authors | Written by authorities/experts | Written by professionals in the field, or freelancers | Written by journalists, freelancers, or guest contributors |
| Editors | Editors require that articles be reviewed by peers | No peer-review process | No peer-review process |
| Article Length | Lengthier articles (5–20+ pages) | Short to medium-length articles (1–20 pages) | Short articles or columns (1–10 pages) |
| Publication Frequency | Published 2–4 times per year | Published weekly or monthly | Published daily (newspapers), weekly or monthly |
| Appearance | Plain covers, matte paper, few illustrations & few ads, but many tables, figures, charts, graphs | Flashy covers, glossy paper, eye-catching illustrations & ads, some photos, cartoons, sidebars | Flashy covers, glossy paper, eye-catching illustrations & ads, photos, cartoons, sidebars, sometimes newspapers |
| Purpose | Inform, report, or make available original research to scholars and researchers | Examine problems or concerns in a particular profession or industry for practitioners | Entertain or persuade readers with general interest topics, or to sell products; usually not subject-specific |
| Tone & Language | Serious, academic, subject-specific language | Educated, subject-specific language | Entertaining or news-oriented, simple language |
| References | Sources are cited: bibliography, references, and/or footnotes used | Sources are usually not cited | Sources are rarely cited: no bibliographies or footnotes |
| Access | • Through subscribing academic libraries • Indexed only in subject-specific databases such as Criminal Justice Abstracts |
• Usually sent to office of subscribing practitioners • Indexing is scattered, but fullest coverage is through business indexes such as Business Source Premier |
• Newsstands or to homes of resident subscribers • Indexed in general-purpose databases such as Academic Search Premier |
| Examples: | Business: Quarterly Review of Economics & Business Psychology: Journal of Family Psychology Criminal Justice: Justice Quarterly Theology: Catholic Historical Review Nursing: Critical Care Nursing Quarterly General Interest: not applicable |
Business: Advertising Age Psychology: APA Review Criminal Justice: Police Chief Theology: Clergy Review Nursing: Nursing Times General Interest: not applicable |
Business: Business Week Psychology: Parents Criminal Justice: Corrections Today Theology: Christianity Today Nursing: Prevention General Interest: Newsweek, Sports Illustrated, People, National Enquirer, Good Housekeeping, etc. |
* Scholarly journal items: Not everything published in scholarly journals is appropriate for research use. For example, book reviews, editorial (opinion) pieces, short news items etc. do not count as "scholarly articles". If you are unsure about using the information you've found, be sure to check with a librarian or your professor.
** Peer-review: This is the process requiring that each article submitted for publication be judged by an independent panel of experts (scholarly or scientific peers). Articles not approved by a majority of these peers are not accepted for publication by the journal.