You will likely see four different types of information when doing research for your classes:
Popular: Popular articles are typically published in magazines that are for sale in bookstores or supermarket newsstands. They are written and published quickly by people with little or no expertise or credentials.They rarely contain specialized vocabulary or intent to empirically prove their claims. They are not suitable sources for scholarly research.
Trade: Trade articles are written by people who are experienced (often very experienced) in their field of employment. They are written for other members of that profession. They often contain specialized vocabulary, appropriate for members of the profession in question. But these articles are written and published quickly in magazines that are sold in popular outlets. They are not peer-reviewed (see below) and their authors normally do not empirically prove their statements with evidence. They are not suitable sources for scholarly research.
Scholarly: Scholarly materials are written by experts with credentials in their field, typically Ph.D.'s or M.D.'s. The content and claims in scholarly articles are always supported by primary sources, such as experiments (in the sciences) or diaries (in the humanities). They often contain detailed analysis of related, previously published secondary sources. These primary and secondary sources are cited in footnotes and a bibliography. A scholarly article is written slowly and requires much research. It is normally published in a journal. Journals are typically only available in universities and libraries.
Peer-reviewed: A peer-reviewed article is a scholarly article that has been evaluated and judged meritorious by other experts in the field. The author of the article submits it for publication and the experts read and evaluate its methodology, analysis and conclusions. Peer review is the most reliable form of scholarship. Journals that contain articles that are evaluated by a board of expert editors are called peer-reviewed journals.
How to Identify Different Types of Periodicals at a Glance
| Popular | Trade | Scholarly |
| Covers are in color | Plain cover, plain paper (most often) | |
| Glossy pages | Glossy pages | (Science journals may contain glossy pages) |
| Ads | Ads | No ads |
| Articles on current events | Articles on industry trends | Primary research, theories, methodologies |
| General interest | Written for members of specific industry | Written for researchers & professionals |
| Short articles | Short articles | Lengthy, in-depth articles |
| Informal tone | Informal tone | Formal and serious tone |
| Easy to read vocabularies | Professional jargons, more difficult to read | |
| Written by general staff | Written by staff or experts in the field | Written by experts in the field & researchers |
| Reviewed by general editor | Peer review* by subject experts | |
| No bibliographies or footnotes | Short or nonexistent bibliographies | Extensive bibliographies & references |
| Usually called a "magazine" | Referred to as a "journal"; may have "journal" in its name |
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