Distinguishing Scholarly from Non-Scholarly Periodicals: A Checklist of Criteria

Periodical literature has a variety of purposes. Sometimes, its purpose may be to present general information to a wide audience of readers; other times its purpose may be to communicate sophisticated insights to academic specialists. Often, you might find it difficult to make distinctions among the levels of complexity of periodicals that result from differing purposes. This guide gives you three levels of complexity -- or three types -- of periodical literature: scholarly or professional, substantive news or general interest, and popular.

Webster's Third International Dictionary defines "scholarly" as:

1) concerned with academic study, especially research,

2) exhibiting the methods and attitudes of a scholar, and

3) having the manner and appearance of a scholar.

It defines "professional" as:

1) relating to a profession,

2) conforming to the technical and ethical standards of a profession.

"Substantive" is defined as "having a solid base, being substantial."

"Popular" means "fit for, or reflecting the taste and intelligence of the people at large."

Realizing that none of the distinctions made between periodicals is clear-cut, you may distinguish among the three types by applying, in general, the following criteria.

Scholarly or professional:

• These journals generally have a sober, serious look. They often contain graphs and charts, but few glossy pages or exciting pictures.
• Scholarly sources always cite their sources in the form of footnotes or bibliographies; professional journals frequently do the same.
• Articles are written by a scholar or professional in the field or by someone who has done research in the field.
• The language used is that of the discipline or profession involved. It assumes some scholarly background on the part of the reader.

The main purpose of a scholarly or professional journal is to report on original research or experimentation in order to make such information available to the rest of the scholarly world. Many scholarly journals, though by no means all, are published by professional organizations.

Examples of scholarly or professional journals:

Substantive news or general interest:

• These periodicals may be eye-catching, although some are in tabloid format. Articles are sometimes heavily illustrated, often with photographs.
• News and general interest periodicals sometimes cite sources, though frequently they do not.
• Articles may be written by a member of the editorial staff, a scholar, or a free-lance writer, or a professional in the field.
• The language of these periodicals is geared to any educated audience. There is no specialty assumed, only interest and a certain level of intelligence.
• They are generally published by commercial enterprises or individuals, although some come from specific professional organizations.
• The main purpose of periodicals in this category is to provide information, in a general manner, to a broad audience of concerned citizens.

Examples of substantive news or general interest periodicals:

Aviation Week and Space Technology, Economist, Scientific American, Time, Business Week

Popular:

• Popular periodicals come in many formats and are usually slick and attractive in appearance. They contain many photographs, drawings, etc. and usually have many advertisements.
• These publications rarely, if ever, cite sources. Information published in such periodicals is often second or third hand, and the original source is sometimes obscure.
• Articles are usually short in length, simple in language, and shallow in content. Only a minimal educational level on the part of the reader is assumed.
• Articles are written by staff members or free-lance writers.
• The main purposes of popular periodicals are to entertain the reader, to sell products, or to promote a viewpoint.

Gradations of popular:

"Substantive news or general interest" periodicals are sometimes grouped into the popular category because of their appeal to non-specialists. One way to distinguish "substantive news or general interest" periodicals from the popular periodicals listed below is to examine ways their criteria more closely resemble those of "scholarly or professional" journals.

Examples of popular periodicals:

Sports Illustrated, People Weekly, Reader's Digest, Ebony, Woman's Day

Further guidance:

The above criteria should aid you in selecting articles for a research paper, a speech or class presentation, or simply for increasing your knowledge of a topic. Most research papers at the university level require the use of only scholarly and professional level journals. If you are not sure that a given periodical falls into that category, check with your teacher. Often an article in the substantive news category is acceptable, and for an informative speech you may need to use the popular level to get the information needed.

Some reference tools describe and evaluate periodicals. You may wish to consult them for further guidance:

Additional reference tools exist that cover specific disciplines and topics. See the reference librarian for help in locating them.

Thanks to the Cornell University library for providing the model for this guide.