Library Home: Senior Seminar in Biology and Health Sciences: Types of Journals

What type of journal is it?

Knowing the type of journal you are looking at can help you to determine the type of information you will find located within that journal. This page will cover the basic differences between scholarly, trade, and popular journals.

Scholarly Journal or Trade Publication or Popular Magazine

	SCHOLARLY JOURNAL	TRADE PUBLICATION	POPULAR MAGAZINE
Appearance	Plain cover Plain paper Primarily black & white Graphs / Charts / Tables Few photographs Few or no advertisements Longer length articles	Cover depicts industry Glossy paper Pictures in color Trade-related ads Moderate article length	Flashy cover Glossy paper Pictures in color Colorful product ads Short articles
Audience	Academic / Professional Professors Researchers Students	Industry members Professionals in the field	General public Non-professionals
Authors	Experts in the field Credentials given	Industry specialist Staff writer Authors named Credentials may be given	Journalist Staff writer Freelance writer Credentials rarely given
Content	Research projects Methodology Theory	Industry trends Industry products Industry techniques Organizational news	Personalities News Opinions General interest
Language	Discipline-specific jargon Title - "Journal," "Bulletin," or "Review"	Industry jargon Title includes industry name	General audience reading level
Publishers	Professional organizations Scholarly organizations University press	Trade organizations	Commercial, for-profit organizations
References	Includes bibliography Includes references Includes notes Includes works cited	May include bibliography	Rarely cited sources