Scholarly vs Popular vs Trade

Identifying Scholarly, Popular and Trade Publications

What is a Scholarly Article?

An important part of any research project is evaluating your resources and knowing the difference among articles published in Scholarly, Popular and Trade Publications. Many of your professors will require that you use scholarly, peer reviewed sources. 

Scholarly journals - contain in-depth articles on original research written by experts in a particular field for scholars and researchers. Articles contain specialized vocabulary, extensive citations, graphs, charts & tables, and are usually peer-reviewed by experts in the field. 

Popular magazines - contain articles and are typically written by a staff writer or journalist for a general audience. The magazine includes many photos and ads. Reference to sources are uncommon.

Trade publications - contain articles on current news and trends for a specific industry or profession and are written by authors with knowledge in the field for practitioners. Articles report general news, trends, and opinions, rather than advanced research, and are not peer-reviewed.

Properties of Scholarly, Popular and Trade Journals

 

Scholarly / Academic Journals
(including Peer Reviewed)

Popular

Trade Publications
             American Anthropologist Journal of Popular Culture          Time cyberwar cover         Advertising Age cover
Examples

American Anthropologist
Journal of Popular Culture
Nature

Time
National Geographic
Popular Mechanics
Psychology Today

Public Management
Advertising Age
InfoSecurity Professional
Content

Research results/reports
Reviews of research
Book reviews 

Current events
General interest

Articles on a certain business or industry
News, trends, promotional materials
Purpose

Share original research or
scholarship with the
academic community

Entertainment
Current Events
Popular Culture

Inform about business or industry news, trends, or products 
Audience

Scholars, researchers, students

General public
Nonprofessionals

Business/industry professionals and practitioners
Authorship

Expert or specialist in the field.
Name and credentials always provided

Staff writers, journalists, freelancers.
Credentials often not provided

Staff writers, business/industry professionals.
Review Policy

Peer reviewed (refereed)
Reviewed and critically evaluated by experts in the field

Staff editor.

Business/industry professionals and practitioners
Cites Sources Research thoroughly documented by:
Bibliographies / Works Cited
Footnotes
References
Endnotes 

None. May refer to other studies

Few, if any.
Format/Structure

Structured articles typically contain: 
Abstract / Summary
Literature Review
Methodology
Results
Discussion
Conclusion
Bibliography

No specific format
 

No specific format
 

Pagination

 Page numbers consecutive through all issues in a single volume Individual issues begin with Page 1 Each issue usually begins with Page 1
Special Features

Illustrations that support text
Statistical tables, graphs, maps
Longer articles
Few ads, usually for scholarly products or books

Glossy photos & illustrations.
Many ads for variety of products.

Ads geared toward specific industry