Mary and Jeff Bell Library -- Distinguishing Peer Review

Distinguishing Peer Reviewed/Scholarly Journals from Popular and Trade Magazines

Scholarly journals, popular magazines and trade magazines are all important sources for current information in a field of study. This guide provides a list of characteristics to help distinguish between these three types of publications.

SCHOLARLY JOURNALS

The main purpose of a scholarly journal is to publish original research so that the findings are available to the rest of the scholarly world. A scholarly journal will contain journal articles that report new research or review past research. The appearance of the scholarly journal itself may be plain or have very little design, it may be printed on plain paper and have black and white graphics and illustrations.

Scholarly journal articles:

are signed by the author(s).
are written by an expert or scholar in the field.
cite their sources as a bibliography or list of references.
include the language of the discipline that is being studies and assumes that the reader will have some background in the subject being studied.
may include an abstract at the beginning of the article.
will provide the author's credentials and affiliations.
are "peer reviewed' or "refereed". "Peer reviewed" or "Refereed" is a formal process undertaken by experts in a field to determine the quality of an article before it is accepted and published in a journal.

You can determine if a journal is peer reviewed by checking the first few pages of a journal issue for a list of reviewers or an editorial board and the editorial policy. You may also wish to consult with a librarian.

Pacific Philosophical Quarterly
Journal of Social History
Nursing Clinics of North America
Prairie Schooner

POPULAR MAGAZINES

Magazines that fall in this category are usually eye-catching, contain color pictures and illustrations and are printed on glossy paper. The articles are written for a general audience to inform and entertain.

Popular magazines:

may contain unsigned articles.
contain articles of general interest about personalities, current news items, etc.
may not contain bibliographies.
will contain many advertisements.
will not contain specialized language specific to a field of study.

Examples of Popular Magazines:

Psychology Today
Fortune
Newsweek
Sports Illustrated

TRADE MAGAZINES

Trade magazines are written for the members of a specific industry. The articles are written to inform these members of business trends, new products or techniques and organizational news.

Trade magazines:

will contain articles written by staff or contributing authors.
will contain advertisements related to the profession.
will provide a forum for job postings.

Examples of Trade Magazines:

Communique
CGA Magazine
HR Focus
American Libraries

We invite questions and/or comments and look forward to hearing from you. Contact Edward Kownslar at Edward.Kownslar@tamucc.edu.