Professors often ask students to find information in scholarly journals instead of in popular or general interest magazines. When searching for scholarly information, consider the following distinguishing features:

SCHOLARLY JOURNALS

• contain articles written by experts in a given field.
• expect readers to have an understanding of a field's terminology, history, and current concerns.
• include extensive documentation to previously published research (parenthetical documentation or footnotes, a bibliography of works cited, etc.).
• do not contain advertisements nor have a glossy, slick appearance.
• are published by professional organizations, such as the American Medical Association, Modern Language Association, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and often have words like journal, review, or quarterly in their titles.

MAGAZINES

• contain articles written by a staff member or freelance writer.
• are aimed at a general, not an expert audience.
• include little or no documentation.
• have a glossy, slick appearance and contain photographs as well as extensive advertisements.
• are published for commercial reasons or to advocate a point of view.

NOTE: You can find more information about a periodical title by consulting either Ulrich's International Periodicals Directory or Katz's Magazines for Libraries, both of which are in the Reference Room. If you need further assistance, please consult a reference librarian.