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LS 1020 Course Materials: Popular, Scholarly, Trade

Introduction to Information Research

Popular, Scholarly, and Trade Periodicals

You may have assignments that require using articles from “scholarly, peer-reviewed journals.” What does that mean? To figure it out, we need to look at the characteristics of different periodicals—publications released at regular intervals.

There are many types of periodicals: newspapers, magazines, trade publications, scholarly journals. Each type of periodical serves different purposes and audiences. That affects all characteristics of the periodical, such as who writes in them and what kind of language they use.

You can see the different characteristics of each type of periodical in the chart below. When evaluating, you will want to use more than one characteristic to determine what kind of periodical you have.

For example, if your article has an expert author, it could be from either a scholarly journal or a trade publication. You’d then need to look at other characteristics to determine whether it is scholarly.

Is it Popular, Scholarly, or Trade periodical?

When your professors ask you to use scholarly journals, they are thinking of these characteristics. Expert authors, in-depth information, and formal citation are all markers of high-quality information. Journals that are peer-reviewed, the process through which multiple experts examine the work, have an additional layer of documentation and credibility. In other words, your professors want you to use these sources because they have the best information for supporting research.

Does this mean other types of periodicals are useless? No – just that they are useful for different purposes. Popular articles from newspapers or magazines can help you understand a new topic and be easier to read. They are also more likely to cover current events. Trade publications can highlight important, practical questions facing a given profession. It all depends on the scope of your information need.

While you normally see “scholarly” as a designation for periodical articles, any source type can be popular or scholarly. For example, a book from a scholarly press with in-depth coverage of someone’s research would be considered scholarly. However, a book collecting funny cat pictures from the Internet would be popular.

Being scholarly also does not automatically mean there has been peer review.  For example, a government report on a research project is scholarly but usually not peer-reviewed. You will need to look into the publication’s information to see if it is peer-reviewed.

How to Determine if a source is Popular, Scholarly, or Trade periodical

Criteria Popular
Example

 Time magazine cover Rolling Stone magazine cover People Magazine cover

 

Author

Journalist or staff writer, usually without subject expertise

Audience

General public

Content Broad overviews of topic, general information, current events, may include opinion or personal narrative
Language

Non-technical, general, easy to understand language

Editing

Not refereed or peer-reviewed, but may have editing staff for format and style

References Rarely includes works cited or bibliography; may link or describe interviewed sources
Publisher

Commercial press

Graphics

Eye-catching, many images and advertisements, occasionally graphs, charts, tables

Adapted from Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences, Susan Moore, Limestone College, and Amy VanScoy, NCSU Library

 
Criteria Scholarly
Example

    Journal of Pediatric Nursing cover  International Journal of Business and Management cover Journal of Business Ethics cover

 

Author Expert, scholar, researcher, professional, verified with credentials
Audience Experts, scholars, researchers, students
Content In-depth analysis, original research, highly specific information
Language

Specialized vocabulary or jargon; assumes have a background in the subject

Editing Articles refereed or peer-reviewed by other experts
References Always includes formal works cited or bibliography to document research
Publisher University press or scholarly association
Graphics Graphs, charts, and tables to support research; few images and advertisements

Adapted from Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences, Susan Moore, Limestone College, and Amy VanScoy, NCSU Library

 
Criteria Trade
Example LNG Industry trade journal cover Computerworld trade journal cover  Broadcasting & Cable trade journal cover
Author

Professional in the field or journalist with subject expertise

Audience Professionals in the field
Content News, trends, products, practical information for specific industry
Language Specialized vocabulary or jargon, but not as technical as scholarly
Editing Not refereed or peer-reviewed, but have editing staff for format and style
References Occasional bibliographies, but not required
Publisher Professional organization or association
Graphics Some graphics and charts, images and advertisements targeted to professionals in field

Adapted from Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences, Susan Moore, Limestone College, and Amy VanScoy, NCSU Library