It is important to be able to distinguish between journal articles and magazine articles. Journal articles are typically referred to as scholarly, while magazine articles are typically referred to as popular. Here are some clues to look for when you're trying to figure out if your article was published in a scholarly journal or a popular magazine.
| Criteria | Scholarly Journal | Popular Magazine |
|---|---|---|
| Example |  |
 |
| Content | In-depth, primary account of original findings written by the researcher(s); very specific information, with the goal of scholarly communication. | Secondary discussion of someone else's research; may include personal narrative or opinion; general information, purpose is to entertain or inform. |
| Author | Author's credentials are provided; usually a scholar or specialist with subject expertise. | Author is frequently a journalist paid to write articles, may or may not have subject expertise. |
| Audience | Scholars, researchers, and students. | General public; the interested non-specialist. |
| Language | Specialized terminology or jargon of the field; requires expertise in subject area. | Vocabulary in general usage; easily understandable to most readers. |
| Graphics | Graphs, charts, and tables; very few advertisements and photographs. | Graphs, charts and tables; lots of glossy advertisements and photographs. |
| Layout and Organization | Structured; includes the article abstract, goals and objectives, methodology, results (evidence), discussion, conclusion, and bibliography. | Informal; may include non-standard formatting. May not present supporting evidence or a conclusion. |
| Accountability | Articles are evaluated by peer-reviewers who are experts in the field; edited for content, format, and style. While the peer-review process is far from perfect,* it often is an indicator at least some measure of objectivity. | Articles are evaluated by editorial staff, not experts in the field; edited for format and style. |
| References | Required. Quotes and facts are verifiable. | Rare. Little, if any, information about source materials is given. |
| Paging | Page numbers are consecutive throughout the volume. | Each issue begins with page 1. |
| Other Examples | Annals of Mathematics, Journal of Abnormal Psychology, History of Education Quarterly, Almost anything with Journal in the title. | Sports Illustrated, National Geographic, Time, Newsweek, Ladies Home Journal, Cooking Light, Discover |
Acknowledgement: This is adapted from one created by North Carolina State University Libraries. They, in turn, modified a document originally created by librarians at the University of Michigan Shapiro Undergraduate Library.
*This 2019 Washington Post opinion piece provides examples of the imperfections of the peer-review process: Why we shouldn’t take peer review as the ‘gold standard.’
Most, but not all, scholarly journals are peer-reviewed. Peer-reviewed journals are a subset of scholarly journals.
In PsycINFO, selecting the "Peer reviewed" filter limits results to peer-reviewed journals. Keep in mind that some peer-reviewed journals include articles that are not peer-reviewed (for example, book reviews).
In Psychology, a primary source (sometimes called a "primary empirical article" or an "empirical article") is a research article that is written by the person who performed the original scientific investigation. This is in contrast to review articles or articles published in newspapers or magazines that describe research that was performed by someone else.
To determine whether an article is a primary source, first, remember that the article must be written by the people who did the original scientific investigation. Look for language that indicates the authors performed the actions they are describing, for example, "We surveyed a sample of university students..." or "We observed thirty healthy adults..." Then, look at the structure of the article. Primary sources are usually divided into sections such as: Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion or Conclusions. Don't be thrown off when you see references to investigations done by other researchers; most primary sources begin with a review of relevant work.