2. Scholarly journals vs. popular magazines: Definitions

Articles in scholarly journals present research findings and go through the peer review process before they are accepted for publication. In the peer review process, experts in the field examine the articles before they are accepted. This insures that the research published is sound and of high quality. Journals that go through the peer review process are called peer reviewed or refereed journals. In addition, articles in scholarly journals are intended for researchers and use the language of a specialized discipline.

Articles in popular journals do not go through a process of peer-review. The articles are intended for a general audience and do not use the language of a specialized field.