What is a Scholarly Journal?
Most instructors at the college level demand that all or most of the periodical articles you use in writing a research paper come from scholarly journals. Below are some suggestions to help distinguish scholarly journals from other periodicals.
• A Scholarly Journal is published or sponsored by a professional society or organization.
• The articles are submitted to reviewers or an editorial board who decides if the article is to be printed in the journal (This is known as a "juried," a "peer reviewed," or a "refereed" article.)
How to Identify a Scholarly Journal Article
?• Is the article organized into at least two of the following sections?
a) introduction or literature review
b) theory or background
c) subjects
d) methods
e) results
f) discussion
• Does the article have a bibliography or list of references?
• Is there an abstract at the beginning of the article?
• Are the author’s credentials listed?
• Is the article based on either original research or authorities in the field (as opposed to personal opinion)?
• Are there supporting diagrams or illustrations with the article?
Examples of Scholarly Journals
Non-Scholarly Sources
News magazines like Time, Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report. While these publications can be of great assistance in providing an introduction to a current topic, they don’t provide the same analysis as scholarly journals. Articles are not usually written by scholars in the field and are aimed at a more general audience.
Opinion magazines such as New Republic, National Review or Nation.. These magazines are aimed at an educated audience, but without assuming particular scholarly background. They comment on current events and offer a particular viewpoint on world affairs, politics, and cultural matters.
Popular magazines like Sports Illustrated, Health, Redbook, People, Reader’s Digest or Family Circle.. Popular magazines, while attractive and entertaining, do not report on original research or cite sources, and are not the kind of source to cite in the bibliography of an academic paper.
Trade journals such as Beverage World, Dealer-Scope Merchandising, Automotive News and Progressive Grocer. These magazines are industry specific, designed to update and inform the reader on current trends in an industry.