Popular, Professional, or Scholarly?
A snazzy chart to help you determine the type of article you have!
/ Popular / Professional/Trade / Scholarly/Peer Reviewed/Refereed /AUDIENCE / Nonspecific; mass audience. No specific knowledge of particular subject is required. Many of these periodicals are sold in the grocery store. / Specific, usually professionals or practitioners of the field covered. though most people may understand material. / Specialized, technical audience; geared toward researchers and professionals in the field with a specific knowledge of subject /
WRITERS / Professional writers; usually not trained in field in which they are writing. Writers for these publications usually make their living as writers. / Professional writers who are trained in the field in which they are writing. The writer's credentials may appear. Writers for these publications may make their living as writers. / Scholars, specialists in field; not usually professional writers. The writer's credentials appear. Writers for these publications usually do not make their living as writers. /
CONTENT / Non specialized material. Articles are short and no references or bibliographies at end of articles / Specific material, though understandable. Generally policy and action are the focus of articles. Sometimes a few footnotes. / Highly specialized. Many times contains charts/graphs from original research. Frequently contains many footnotes. Devoted to a specific discipline of academia. articles are "signed," typically lengthy and have references (or bibliographies), articles are submitted to a lengthy peer review process, have scholarly book reviews. /
LANGUAGE / Junior high reading level. No specialized vocabulary. Uncomplicated writing style. / High-school reading level. Some specialized vocabulary. Fairly uncomplicated writing style. / Learned reading level. Specialized vocabulary. Complicated writing style. /
/ Popular / Professional/Trade / Scholarly/Peer Reviewed/Refereed /
APPEARANCE/ PURPOSE / Slick; lots of photography and advertisements. Intent: to provide consumer level knowledge & entertain. / Usually pretty slick; many advertisements; some photography. Addresses the day-to-day problems of practitioners as distinct from the concerns of academics. / Dull; unattractive; few to no advertisements. Articles report the results of studies and/or research performed by author(s). /
EXAMPLES / · Parents
· Sports Illustrated / · Principle Leadership
· Sports'N Spokes: The Magazine for Wheelchair Sports and Recreation / · Educational Review
· Journal of Sport Behavior /
Chart adapted from the University of North Carolina—Wilmington Randall Library
http://library.uncw.edu/guides/popular_vs_professionaltrade_vs_scholarlypeer_reviewedrefereed_articles