Differences Between Popular Magazines and Scholarly Journals

Characteristics of Magazines:

• Articles describe a study or a research project that has been done or tell general facts about a subject
• Intended for the general public
• Usually, published more frequently (weekly, bi-weekly)
• Language is simple and style is more "newsy"
• Tries to catch the interest of readers with photographs and other color illustrations
• Usually, does not have a bibliography at the end of the article
• Usually, has a shorter article length
• Author does not have to be a member of the field he/she is writing about
• Usually, contains advertisements
• Publisher is usually a corporation
• Each issue's pages are numbered individually
• Articles are indexed in general indexes
• Issues are widely available and can be purchased in many stores

Characteristics of Scholarly Journals:

• Articles contain original research and original interpretation of data and texts (includes studies, experiments, and historical research)
• Intended for professionals, scholars, and students of a specific field
• Usually published less frequently (bimonthly, quarterly)
• Language is more technical and specific to the field
• Usually, has no pictures but may contain charts to show research data
• Usually, contains a bibliography at the end of the article
• Usually, has a longer article length
• Author is a qualified member of the field
• Contains few advertisements unless it is an item used in the field
• Publisher is usually a scholarly association or university
• Pages are continuously numbered throughout a volume
• Articles are indexed in subject-specific indexes

Examples of Some Popular Magizines

• Time
• Business Week
• Newsweek
• Forbes
• Psychology Today
• Fortune
• Atlantic Monthly
• Rolling Stone
• Entertainment Weekly
• Sports Illustrated
• New Yorker
• Ladies Home Journal

Examples of Some Scholarly Journals

• New England Journal of Medicine
• International Journal of Nursing Studies
• Journal of Abnormal Psychology
• Research in Higher Education
• JAMA
• Social Work
• William and Mary Quarterly
• Social Forces
• Canadian Literature
• Journal of Marriage and the Family
• Journal of Communication
• American Journal of Psychiatry

Source: http://www.wvncc.edu/current-students/differences-between-popular-magazines-and-scholarly-journals/1181

The best way to find articles is to look up your topic in a periodical database

Example:   Find information on ENTER YOUR TOPIC INFORMATION HERE

• Go the library’s homepage
• Click on Databases/e-Resources
• Databases are arranged by Subject and Alphabetically
• Link to the appropriate database and key in your search  (Ask a librarian if you need help in determining which database to use)
• Under the Subject link, choose   ENTER SUBJECT HERE
              Select ENTER DATABASE HERE
              Enter in the topic: ENTER TOPIC HERE  

• After clicking search, you may need to narrow your results
• To do this, select Year(s), Publication title(s), Topic(s), Content type(s) and click on "Apply filters" and that should narrow your results

Remember, if you have any questions ask a librarian.  We are here to help.