Library Research Guides

Scholarly Publications vs Popular Publications

A Guide to the Differences Between Publications. Originally published by: Gutnam Library, Philadelphia College of Textiles and Sciences. Modified with permission.

	Scholarly Journal	News/ General Interest	Popular Magazines	Sensational Publications
Format	Has grave, serious format	Attractive in appearance	Generally slick/glossy with an attractive format	Cheap newspaper format
Graphics	Graphs and charts to illustrate concepts	Photos, graphics and illustrations used to enhance articles	Photos, illustrations and drawing to enhance image of publication	Contains melodramatic, lurid or "doctored" photos
Sources	Cited sources with footnotes and/or bibliography	Occasionally cite sources, but not as a rule	Rarely cite sources. Original sources may be obscure	Rarely cite sources of information
Authors	Written by scholars or researchers in the field or discipline	Written for an educated, general audience by staff, free-lance or scholarly writers	Written by the staff or free-lance writers for a broad audience	Written by free-lance or staff writers
Language	Uses terminology, jargon, and the language of the discipline. Reader is assumed to have similar background	Uses language appropriate for an educated readership	Uses simple language for minimal educational level. Articles are short, with little depth	Contains language that is simple, easy-to-read and understand. Sensational style is often used
Publication Criteria	Subject to "peer review". Must meet approval of qualified scholars in the field	Must meet standards of publication and be approved by editors	No specific criteria	No specific criteria
Purpose	To inform, report, or make original research available to the scholarly world	Provide general information to a wide, interested audience	Designed to entertain or persuade, to sell products or services	Arouse curiosity and interest by distorting the truth. Often uses outrageous or startling headlines
Publishers	Generally published by a professional organization	Published by commercial enterprises for profit	Published for profit	Published for profit
Advertising	Contains selective advertising	Carries advertising	Contains extensive advertising	Contains advertising as luring and startling as the stories
Examples	Annals of Microbiology, Harvard Business Review, Journal of Physiology, Physics Letters	Atlantic Monthly, Newsweek, Fortune, Psychology Today, Scientific American	Better Homes and Gardens, GQ, Glamour, People, Sports Illustrated	Globe, National Enquirer, National Examiner, Star, Sun