WHAT IS A SCHOLARLY JOURNAL?

Most of your research at the University level demands that you use scholarly journals in writing papers.  There is no difference between a magazine and a journal.  Both are periodicals but there is a difference between a popular magazine and a scholarly journal.  To help you see the difference here are some characteristics of a scholarly journal:

• These journals tend to have a serious look with many graphs and charts and few pictures, no glossy pages.

• Scholarly journals always cite their sources in the form of footnotes and/or bibliographies.

• The articles are generally written and signed by a scholar in the field or someone who has done research on the subject.

• The main purpose of the journal is to report on original research or experimentation in order to make such information available to the rest of the scholarly world.

• Many of these journals are published by a specific professional organization such as the JAMA : The Journal of the American Medical Association.

PERIODICALS THAT ARE NOT SCHOLARLY JOURNALS

• News magazines like Time or Newsweek can be of help in writing a research paper but they are not scholarly journals as they don't have the type of analysis provided by a scholarly-written article.

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• Opinion magazines such as New Republic or National Review may appear to be scholarly as they are aimed at an educated public however they only comment , or provide a particular viewpoint on current  events.

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• Popular magazines like Fitness, or Sports Illustrated, are generally found in public libraries. While they are enjoyable and entertaining, they cannot be considered scholarly, do not provide original research, nor are they  a source you would want to cite in your academic paper.

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• Trade journals such as Computerworld or Automotive News are magazines written for a specific industry to keep the reader up-to-date on current trends in that industry.

WHEN IN DOUBT ASK YOUR INSTRUCTOR OR THE LIBRARIAN