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Popular Magazines

These articles are good for summarizing information on a topic for the general public.  They often provide a background, summarize research findings, and provide some analysis of a topic.

Appearance:

• Generally attractive and illustrated with color photographs.

Audience:

• Written for the general public.

Author/Authority:

• Articles written by staff or freelance writer.

Content:

• Includes current events and special features.

Frequency:

• Usually published weekly or monthly.

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Trade Journals

*Sometimes called Professional Journals or Industry Journals

These articles are good to keep people in a particular field of work or trade (veterinarians, police officers, hotel managers, teachers, librarians, advertisers...etc.) up-to-date on trends in their line of work.  Articles often summarize and analyze findings from scholarly research.

Appearance: 

• Generally attractive and are often illustrated with color photographs

Audience:

• Written for industry professionals.

Author/Authority:

• Articles written by staff writers, though the magazine may sometimes accept articles from industry professionals.

Citations:

• Occasionally list references at the end of the article or provide footnotes within the text.

Content:

• Includes current events and special features within a particular profession or industry.

Frequency:

• Usually published biweekly or monthly.      

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Scholarly journals

*Sometimes called Scholarly, Academic, Peer-reviewed or Refereed

These articles are good to find results of scientific or academic research.  They are written for scholars and provide in-depth analysis of a very specific area of your topic 

Appearance: 

• Generally have a sober, serious look. May contain graphs and charts, but few glossy pages or photographs. Use scholarly language with vocabulary specific to their profession or field. May often have headings in article such as "literature review" "methods" "results" and "discussion." 

Audience:

• Written for academics and professionals.

Author/Authority:

• Articles written by researchers or scholars in the field who report the results of original research.

Citations:

• Articles include footnotes and a list of citations at the end of the article.

Content:

• Includes scholarly research for a particular profession or industry.

Frequency:

• Usually published bimonthly or quarterly.

Images: All images in this tabbed box were taken by GRC librarians