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| Most Substantive | ||
| Purpose: | Disseminate results of original research done by scholars in a particular field | Report industry trends, new products or techniques |
| Subjects/Content: | As implied above, original theory, methodology, or research | May report scholarly research; typically covers information related to purpose, above |
| Research: | Primary (original research/data), secondary (analysis of existing data), or qualitative (little or no quantitative data--see "Organization" | N/A |
| Audience: | Limited; generally researchers and specialists in the field | Pratitioners in the profession, business or industry |
| Accountability (review process): | Peer reviewed by an editorial board or or outside scholars for content (then edited) | Edited for style (perhaps some content issues) |
| References: | Includes bibliography
Primarily or exclusively scholarly references |
No bibliography
Few if any scholarly references |
| Authors: | Scholars with advanced academic credentials; always identified; often multiple (co-authored) | Practitioners/specialists in the industry; may not be identified; typically a single author |
| Less Substantive | ||
| Writing style, tone, and language: | Formal style which usually adheres to MLA (humanities) or APA (social sciences); serious; language and terminology is that of the discipline covered | Less formal; less technical; less academic |
| Organization/structure: | Look for literature review, hypothesis, methodology, findings, conclusions. Secondary research will have a lit review, synthesis, perhaps historical overview | Organization is not formally prescribed |
| Form: | Almost always begin with an abstract (summary); end with a bibliography | Don't. |
| Appearance: | Covers are plain, text only; content is primarily text, black on white; articles may contain tables and graphs, but no photos | Covers relatively eye-catching, often with industry-related themes; articles contain graphics, photographs & illustrations; Usually, but not always, on slick and glossy paper |
| Publication: | Almost always monthly or quarterly | May be monthly; often weekly |
| Pagination: | Typically paginated continuously throughout the publishing year | Paginated from "1" by volume (that is, edition) |
| Affiliation: | Usually associated with a scholarly association | Usually associated with a trade organization (although some scholarly associations--and some commercial enterprises-- do publish a trade) |
| Access: | Available in college and university libraries; articles on specific topics can be identified by using specialized periodical indexes | The most well-known may be available in libraries; some may be available on-line (see my links elsewhere); often by personal subscription only |
| Least Substantive | ||
| Advertising: | Little, usually none | Advertisements directly related to a profession or trade; often contain employment want-ads |
| Title: | Frequently have "Journal" or "Quarterly" in the name of the journal | Don't (typically, but it is possible) |
| Subscription: | Typically by joining (paying the membership fee) of the sponsoring association | Similar -- by joining the trade organization |
| Length: | Typically lengthy, often over 15 pages | Typically 1-5 pages |
| Subscription price: | Pricey, often over $100 | Less pricey, usually under $100 |