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Brief video on how to find scholarly articles, from Cornell University.
General characteristics of scholarly journals and popular magazines
Scholarly Journals
Popular Magazines
Length
Lengthy (5-50) pages
Short (1-5) pages
Audience
Intended for an academic, professional, or scholarly audience
General, non-academic, non-specialized audience
Expertise
Articles written by academics or researchers in the field
Reporters or professional writers, rather than researchers
Bibliography
Yes! A bibliography (references) allow the reader to consult the same material that the author used
Not often. The reader cannot easily link to the original sources
Frequency
Monthly, quarterly, or even once a year
Published frequently (weekly, biweekly, or monthly)
Inclusions
Publish reviews of the literature
Graphs or tables
Little or specialized advertising
Photographs & illustrations
Glossy look
Extensive commercial advertising.
Subjects
Confined to a single, specific aspect of a subject area (e.g., music theory, European political science, film studies, language development.)
Variety of subject areas (Time, Newsweek)
Or single subject area with the intent of informing or entertaining a general audience (Sports Illustrated)
Vocabulary
Use technical or specialized vocabulary
Use conversational language often written at a general education level
Peer-Review Process
Articles are sent to authorities in a particular subject field that decide whether it is a credible piece of research
No, magazine staff edits articles