Comparing Popular, Scholarly/Peer-Reviewed, and Trade Publications 

When doing research for a paper or project, it is important to think critically about the sources you find. Thousands of magazines and journals are published each year.  Many contain reliable information but may be too superficial or commercial to support academic research. This table provides clues for discerning if your journal is intended for popular, scholarly, or trade readers.  

	Popular Magazine	Scholarly/Peer-Reviewed Journal	Trade Magazine
Audience	Intended for the general public	Intended for scholars in the field	Intended for persons in the industry
Cover is	Bright, glossy	Serious, sober	Attractive, informative
Articles cover...	Popular topics, current events, general interests	Specialized research	Information for a particular industry
Advertisements	Many advertisements	Few ads and these are often for books and other journals	Advertisements of interest for the particular industry
Articles are...	Short and may be unsigned	Longer, in depth, often including tables and charts	Articles vary in length and depth
Published...	Weekly or monthly	Monthly, bimonthly, or quarterly	Varies
Writing styles is...	Written for the average readers, 8th grade and up	Written for experts and students in the field, uses technical language	Written for persons in the industry, may use technical language
Authors	Journalist, layperson, maybe a scholar. Articles often unsigned.	Expert (scholar, professor, researcher). Articles are signed w/ principal researcher's name listed first	Some articles are by an expert in the field, others are by staff writers who may be trained as journalists, not specialists
Editors and review process	Reviewed by one or more persons employed by the magazine	Usually reviewed by an editorial board of outside scholars; this process is known as Referee or Peer Review	Reviewed by persons employed by the magazine and knowledgeable in the field
Notes	Few or no references or notes	Usually included notes, methodology, and bibliography	Notes may be included

Newspaper article (popular press, not peer-reviewed)

Stritzel, Cheryl M. "Men Don't Have That: Eating Disorders Affecting Males Go Largely Untreated." Chicago Tribune, 15 Jun 2016: 1. Proquest National Newspapers. Web. 13 Nov. 2016. 

Magazine articles (popular press, not peer-reviewed)

Glasofer, Deborah R., and Joanna Steinglass. "Disrupting The Habits Of Anorexia." Scientific American Mind 27.5 (2016): 27-29. Masterfile Premier. Web. 12 Nov. 2016. 

Ives, Aysha. "What You Need to Know About Eating Disorders." Ebony 71.6/7 (2016): 84-85. Masterfile Premier. Web. 14 Nov. 2016.

Trade magazine (for professionals, but not peer-reviewed)

Barrett, Sam. “How Can Employers Support Staff with Eating Disorders?” Employee Benefits, 2016.

"The Overeating Epidemic." Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter 27.6 (2009): 4. Health Source Nursing Academic. Web. 14 Nov. 2016.

Professional journal article (for academics and clinicians, peer-reviewed)

"Eating Disorders In Adult Women." Harvard Mental Health Letter 28.9 (2012): 1-3. Health Source: Nursing Academic. Web. 14 Nov. 2016.

Murphy, Kathryn. “The Skinny on Eating Disorders.” Nursing Made Incredibly Easy. 5.3 (2007): 40-48. OVID. Web. 13 Nov. 2016.

Research journal articles (for academics and clinicians, peer-reviewed)

Swami, Viren, et al. "Associations Between Women's Body Image And Happiness: Results of the Youbeauty.Com Body Image Survey (YBIS)." Journal of Happiness Studies 16.3 (2015): 705-718. Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection. Web. 14 Nov. 2016.

Wagner, Rebecca, et al. "Effectiveness of a Track-Based Model for Treating Eating Disorders In A General Psychiatric Hospital." Bulletin of The Menninger Clinic 80.1 (2016): 49-59. Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection. Web. 13 Nov. 2016.