| Scholarly/Research Journals | Trade/Professional Magazines | Popular Magazines |
| Uses | * articles on original research
* in-depth analysis
* long articles
* longer book review of scholarly books
* attached bibliographies for additional sources | * trends in an industry, trade, or profession
* company information
* new products, techniques in a field
* statistics, charts | * news, current events
* general interest
* shorter articles
* popular culture
* short book reviews of popular books |
| Audience | researchers, scholars, students with some background in a field | members of a specific industry, profession, association | general public |
| Language | specialized vocabulary of the subject | technical or jargon of the industry or profession | everyday language, non-technical |
| Authors | * experts, researchers in a field
* scholars, academics | * professionals
* subject-specialist staff writers
* guest writers | * journalists, reporters
* staff writers |
| Content | articles reviewed by scholars or editors | articles reviewed by editors | articles reviewed by editors |
| Approval | experts (peer-reviewed/refereed) | on staff | on staff |
| Publishers | * university, scholarly presses
* research organizations
* some professional associations | * industry/trade groups
* professional associations | * commercial publishers |
| Sources of information | * sources fully credited
* bibliographies, references | * sources credited, not always fully | * sources rarely credited |
| graphics/appearance | *mostly black & white with tables, graphs, charts (although that is changing)
* plain, serious look
* few ads | * color illustrations
* glossy paper
* ads targeted to the trade or profession | * color illustrations
* glossy paper
* many color ads |
| frequency | usually monthly or quarterly | usually weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly | usually weekly or monthly |
| examples | * Journal of Business Ethics
* Shakespeare Quarterly
* Behavioral Neuroscience
* New England Journal of Medicine
* Philosophy East & West | * CPA Journal
* Mathematics Teacher
* Library Journal
* HR Magazine
* Athletic Management | * Newsweek
* Time
* Sports Illustrated
* People Magazine
* Gournet Magazine |