LibGuides: Journal Articles: STEP 4: Scholarly vs. popular articles

Scholarly vs. popular articles: What's the difference?

Scholarly journal articles are written by scholars or researchers with expertise in the field, for an academic audience. They are often peer-reviewed, meaning they're reviewed by other experts in the field and checked for major factual or methodological errors.

Popular articles are written for a general audience, by an author who may or may not have expertise, and are not peer-reviewed.

Key differences between scholarly and popular articles

Here are some key differences between scholarly and popular publications (e.g. magazines or newspapers):

CRITERIA	SCHOLARLY PUBLICATIONS (academic journals)	POPULAR PUBLICATIONS (magazines, newspapers, etc...)
Advertising	may contain selective advertising	will contain extensive advertising
Authors & Audience	written by and for academics or researchers	written by staff or freelance writers for the general public
Format & Graphics	may include graphs and charts rarely contain glossy pages or pictures	often slick and glossy will contain photographs, illustrations and/or drawings
Language	may use discipline-specific language or jargon	uses everyday language that is accessible to the average reader
Length	lengthy articles with in-depth coverage of topics	shorter articles: usually provide broad overview of topics
Publishers	generally published by a professional or academic organization	published for profit
Purpose	to report to make original research available to the scholarly world	to entertain, inform, or persuade
Sources	have notes and/or bibliographies	are not expected to cite any sources