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Scholarly journals are journals which contain articles, papers, or original research reports written by academics or professionals in a given field. Their primary purpose is to disseminate information in a particular field of study.
As the primary means of official communication for academics and professionals, scholarly journals provide the latest research findings or theories, present reviews to recently published books, and announce meetings or seminars. The affiliation or credentials of the contributors are noted within the article or report.
Scholarly journals focus on a particular discipline or field of study. For instance in psychology there are the following scholarly publications: the Journal of Personality, the American Journal of Psychology and Adolescence. In the field of Political Science, professional journals include Current History, Journal of International Affairs and Review of Politics.
Scholarly journals are recognizable by their publisher. Scholarly societies, institutions, and councils are common journal publishers, as are colleges and universities. For example, the journal Foreign Affairs is published by the Council on Foreign Relations; and International Philosophy Quarterly is published by Fordham University.
A key determinate of a scholarly journal is that it is peer reviewed. The journal articles are edited and selected for inclusion by distinguished academics or experts in the field or discipline to which the journal is devoted. The editors are assisted by colleagues who review papers submitted for publication. The editors and their colleagues review papers for the quality of the scholarship, intellectual integrity, appropriateness to the particular journal, and writing style. This process acts as a screening device to ensure the journal’s quality. In contrast, magazines such as Newsweek or Time are edited by full-time journalists who are not necessarily experts in a particular field.
Scholarly Journal | Popular Magazine | |
Presentation |
Articles are lengthy Serious appearance; glossy pages or photographs are not found May contain graphs or charts to support the article topic |
Articles generally short Attractive appearance Advertisements |
Audience |
Scholars, professionals, and students | General audience |
Authors |
Scholars, professionals, experts in a particular field of study | Reporters, Journalists, usually not experts on the subject |
Documentation |
Sources cited in footnotes and/or bibliography | Sources not cited or cited informally within the text of the article |
Purpose | To disseminate information in a particular field of study; to report results of original research or experimentation, present reviews of recently published books, and announce meetings or seminars. | Provide general information |
Article Acceptance Procedure |
Many scholarly journals are refereed journals - undergoing a process called "peer-review" where other scholars in the field examine the articles before being published | Written by hired reporters, edited by magazine editors, and published for commercial purposes |
Publishers | Scholarly societies, institutions, and councils are common journal publishers, as are colleges and universities. | For-profit companies such as Time Warner or Walt Disney |
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