Scholarly, Popular, and Professional/Trade Periodicals:
What’s the Difference?
Generally, scholarly periodicals are viewed as being more authoritative while popular periodicals are viewed as being less credible. This is why faculty often require students to use scholarly, not popular, articles for their research. The table below will give you some guidelines in deciding whether a periodical is scholarly, popular, or trade.
|
|
Scholarly |
Popular |
Professional/Trade |
|
Example |
|
|
|
|
Audience |
Scholars, researchers, students |
General public |
Professionals in the field or industry |
|
Authors |
Credentials provided; usually a scholar or specialist in a particular field; articles often have joint authors. |
Frequently a journalist paid to write articles; may or may not have subject expertise. |
Professionals in the field; sometimes a journalist with subject expertise. |
|
Graphics |
Graphs, charts & tables; very few advertisements and photographs. |
Lots of glossy advertisements and photographs. |
Photographs; some graphs, charts, and advertisements targeted to professionals in the field. |
|
Content |
In-depth, very specific information with the goal of scholarly communication; original research |
Popular topics, current events; may include personal narratives or opinions; general information, purpose to entertain or inform |
Industry news, trends, and statistics; practical information for professionals working in the field or industry |
|
Language |
Academic or scholarly language; Specialized terminology; may require knowledge in subject area |
Easily understandable to most readers; vocabulary in general usage. |
Specialized terminology but not as technical as a scholarly journal |
|
Article Layout |
Structured; Includes authors’ credentials, article abstract, goals and objectives, methodology, results, discussion, conclusion, and bibliography. Usually peer reviewed. |
Informal; may not present supporting evidence or a conclusion. Not peer reviewed; only evaluated by editorial staff. |
Informal; evidence is drawn from personal experience or common knowledge. Not peer reviewed; evaluated by editorial staff. |
|
References |
Required. Quotes and facts are used to support research. |
Rare. Little, if any, information is given about source materials. |
Occasional brief bibliographies, but not required. |
|
Other Examples |
Annals of Mathematics; Journal of Education |
Time; Sports Illustrated; Better Homes & Gardens |
Architectural Record; Construction Specified |
Scholarly Article Overview by NCSU Libraries
