SCHOLARLY POPULARVS

Types of Periodicals

Popular Magazines

Professional Journals

Scholarly Journals

Periodicals have a variety of characteristics. They can be divided into 3 main types or categories. This tutorial will explain mainly the differences between popular and scholarly journals. S

Which is which?Scholarly• Few illustrations

– Usually graphs or charts• Few advertisements

– Usually for academic services or items related to journal topic.

• Lengthy articles with bibliographies

• Author is listed with credentials – Usually part of a university

• Article discusses original research• Written using vocabulary of the

academic subject

Popular• Many illustrations

– Usually glossy, color photos• Many advertisements

– Usually for consumer products• Short articles, no bibliographies• Author may not be listed and

credentials are rare– Usually staff or freelance writers

• Articles cover general interest topics

• Written for general public using everyday vocabulary

How do you find them?

• Databases– OmniFileFullTextSelect contains scholarly, professional and

popular articles.

– Some databases contain mainly scholarly journal articles. If you want only scholarly sources, be sure to select the “Peer Reviewed” box in your search!

• Newsstands- Some popular magazines can be found at newsstands as well as in databases.

Scholarly: Academic Journals

• Examples:– Journal of Social Psychology– Journal of Applied Physiology– New England Journal of

Medicine• Characteristics:– Technical language– Reports of original research– Research methods and results,

discussion and extensive citations

Popular: Professional Trade Journals

• Examples:– Advertising Age– Library Journal– Modern Plastics

• Characteristics:– Written for professionals in

the field– Current trends and practices– Meetings, jobs, personalities

Popular: Magazines

• Examples: – Sports Illustrated – Parenting – Martha Stewart Living

• Characteristics:– Lower reading level– Tips, how to, recipes– Targeted to specific consumer groups

Popular: News Magazines

• Examples:– Time– Newsweek– U.S. News & World Report

• Characteristics– Non-technical language– Current events overviews– Book and movie reviews

Popular: Opinion Journals

• Examples:– National Review– Christianity Today– New Republic

• Characteristics:– Educated audience– Particular viewpoint– Commentary on politics and

society

Popular: Newspapers

• Examples: – New York Times – Wall Street Journal– Detroit News

• Characteristics:– Current information– News stories and features– Opinion and commentary

Questions?

Ask a reference librarian!

Phone: 517-750-6742 OR 800-968-9103 ext. 1742

Email: saulibrary@gmail.com

Image Creditshttp://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/0720.html

http://www.marthastewart.com/customer-service

http://img.timeinc.net/time/magazine/archive/covers/2012/1101120109_400.jpg

http://c0.nrostatic.com/nrd/images/covers/20120206.gif

http://www.tandf.co.uk/common/jcovers/websmall/V/VSOC.jpg