A scholarly journal is a periodical that contains articles written by experts in a particular field of study. The articles are intended to be read by other experts or students of the field and are usually much more sophisticated and advanced than the articles found in popular magazines. Some journals are peer-reviewed, meaning that a board of referees who are experts in the field review the submitted article for content and quality. This process should ensure that the article is of the highest quality to researchers.
Many instructors assign research papers or projects that require students to use articles in scholarly journals. How can you tell if it is a scholarly journal? Here are some key elements of various journal types:
Popular Journal/ Magazine
Authors: Reporters, Magazine staff, or Freelance Writers
Audience: General Public
Purpose: Inform, entertain, and cover special interests
Content: Personalities, news, and general interest articles
Language: Non-technical
Articles: Brief, providing broad overviews
Review Process: No Formal peer review process, reviewed by editors on staff
Bibliography: Articles rarely include references
Professional/Trade
Authors: Practitioners, Educators, or Specialists within the profession or trade
Audience: Professional in the fields, researchers, and students
Purpose: Provide information and news to practitioners in a profession
Content: New trends, techniques, and organizational news
Language: Technical terminology of the profession
Articles: Length varies
Review Process: Includes some peer-review periodicals, most are reviewed by editors (often professionals in the field)
Bibliography: Occasionally cite sources
Scholarly Journal
Authors: Scholars, Researchers, or Experts in the Field
Audience: Researchers, Scholars, Students
Purpose: Inform, report and share original research and experimentation with the rest of the scholarly world
Content: Research results, methodology, and theory
Language: Terminology and language of the discipline, the reader is assumed to have a similar background
Articles: Lengthy, providing in-depth analysis
Review Process: Reviewed by a board of experts in the field or by the author’s peers (peer-reviewed)
Bibliography: References/ Bibliographies are always included. Bibliographies or endnotes are in a formal style.
