Identifying Scholarly Articles
To find scholarly journal articles for your research paper, you need to know some features that distinguish scholarly articles from magazine or newspaper articles.
Hover over each question to learn the differences between scholarly journals and popular magazines & newspapers. In the Scholarly Journals column, click "What should I look for" in each section to learn more about scholarly articles in databases.
Scholarly Journals
Popular Magazines & Newspapers
Reporters or Journalists
Staff writers
Free-lance writers
Staff writers
Free-lance writers
Who writes them?
Researchers and Experts
Scholars (including students)
People with knowledge of the topic
What should I look for?
Scholars (including students)
People with knowledge of the topic
What should I look for?
General public
People who do not have in-depth knowledge of the topic
People who do not have in-depth knowledge of the topic
Who reads them?
"Serious" looking - mostly text, some charts, graphs, or tables
Fewer advertisements or illustrations
Generally longer articles
What should I look for?
Fewer advertisements or illustrations
Generally longer articles
What should I look for?
Glossy, color photographs
Commercial advertisements
Easy-to-read or eye-catching layout
Commercial advertisements
Easy-to-read or eye-catching layout
What do they look like?
Original research or studies
In-depth analysis of a specific subject
Critical analysis (criticism)
What should I look for?
In-depth analysis of a specific subject
Critical analysis (criticism)
What should I look for?
Entertainment and popular culture
Current events and news
Opinion pieces or articles with an emotional slant
Current events and news
Opinion pieces or articles with an emotional slant
What's in them?
A panel of experts in the field
This is called "peer-review" - a group of the author's "peers" evaluates it
What should I look for?
This is called "peer-review" - a group of the author's "peers" evaluates it
What should I look for?
Staff editors and publishers
Who evaluates them?
Finding current research about a very specific aspect of your topic
Learning what the experts say about your topic and using it to support your thesis
Learning what the experts say about your topic and using it to support your thesis
Broad overviews of current topics
Information about popular culture
Introduction to an unfamiliar topic
Information about popular culture
Introduction to an unfamiliar topic
What should I use them for?
Scholarly Journals are sometimes called Academic Journals or Peer-Reviewed Journals. These names all refer to the same types of articles.