Definition*

• Concerned with academic study, especially research
• Exhibiting the methods and attitudes of a scholar
• Having the manner and appearance of a scholar

• Written for the general reader

Appearance

• Plain cover
• Plain paper
• Generally have a sober, serious look
• Often contain many graphs and charts but few glossy pages or images

• Eye-catching cover
• Glossy paper
• Pictures and illustrations in color
• Come in many formats, often slick and attractive
• Contain many images and graphics (photographs, drawings, etc)

Audience

• Scholarly readers, such as professors, researchers and students

• Non-professionals or general audience

Author

• Experts, scholars, and researchers

• Staff writers, generalists

Content

• Research projects, methodology and theory
• Articles written by contributing authors

• Personalities, news, and general interest articles
• Articles written by staff, may be unsigned

Purpose

• To report on original research in order to make the information available to the rest of the scholarly world

• To entertain, promote a viewpoint, or sell a product

Writing Style

• Formal, scholarly

• Informal; written for anyone to understand

• Peer review/refereed
• Bibliographies always present

• No bibliographies
• Editorial review

Documentation

• Always cite sources in the form of footnotes or bibliographies

• Rarely, if ever, cite resources
• Information often second or third hand and original source often obscure

Publishers

• Most are published by professional organizations

• Published by commercial enterprises or individuals

Examples

• JAMA: The journal of the American Medical Association
• Journal of Marriage and the Family 

• Psychology Today
• Newsweek
• Sports Illustrated