Academic and Popular Journals

Academic	Popular	Trade
Authors: experts or noted professionals. Check author’s background or qualifications. Authors are most often clearly affiliated with an academic or research institution and an address is provided for readers to contact the author at his or her institution or academic department.	Authors: journalists, students, or anonymous. Credentials often not supplied.	Authors: people in the industry and professional writers
Audience: articles targeted to experts or specialists.	Audience: general interest	Audience: people in a particular industry
Bibliography: a list of references is included at the end of each article	Bibliography: articles rarely include references	Bibliography:articles rarely include references
Content: more specialized, research based - often communicate research findings in a given field.	Content: often report opinion in a story format; focus on current events & topics of general interest, and include a variety of advertisements for consumer products.	Content: may reflect the industry's point of view, particularly on regulatory and legislative issues; often published by trade associations or by for-profit corporations
Format/Structure: articles usually more structured, may include: abstract, literature review, methodology, results, conclusion.	Format/Structure: articles do not necessarily follow a specific format or structure	Format/Structure: articles do not necessarily follow a specific format or structure
Language: higher level language, focused, serious tone, words used are specific to a discipline, written by experts	Language: broad and simple language, written to be understood by almost anyone.	Language: broad and simple language, written to be understood by almost anyone. May include jargon specific to the industry.
Length: longer articles, providing in-depth analysis of topics	Length: shorter articles, providing broader overviews of topics	Length: shorter articles
Peer Review Policy: articles are reviewed for detailed factual & research accuracy before publication by peer or experts in the field. Editorial board is composed of scholars in the field.	Peer Review Policy: editor or editorial board are members of the magazine's or newspaper's staff.	Peer Review Policy: editor or editorial board are members of the magazine's staff.
Special Features: illustrations that support the text, such as tables of statistics, graphs, maps, or photographs	Special Features: illustrations with glossy or colour photographs, usually for advertising purposes	Special Features: illustrations with glossy or colour photographs, usually for advertising purposes

Business & Economics Information Services (BEIS)