Philosophy: What is a Peer-Reviewed Journal?

Criteria	Popular Magazine	Trade Journal	Scholarly/Peer-Reviewed Journal
Author	Journalist or layperson who is often paid to write the article. No credentials listed.	Written by an industry representative. Author is not always named in the articles.	Written by an expert in the field covered. Author is always named and credentials of each author are listed.
Content	Current events. Topics are of general interest and articles are easy to read. No references or bibliography listed.	Information and trends in the industry. Easy to read, but may have some technical jargon. References and bibliography seldom listed.	Original research, with theory & methodology given. Contains professional terminology geared towards those whom are familiar with the field. Always lists references/bibliographies and footnotes within each article.
Appearance	Informal structure. Glossy pages with many ads and pictures in color.	Informal structure. Pages are often glossy with pictures in color.	Very structured with an abstract, goals, methodology, conclusion and references neatly given. Plain in appearance; usually black & white with some charts, tables, and/or graphs.
Advertisements	Many; often in color.	Usually; often in color.	None or very few. If a peer-reviewed journal does contain ads, they are usually advertising professional materials.
Audience	The general public.	Anyone working or interested in the specific field.	Researchers, scholars, and students.
Accountability	Articles are evaluated by an editorial board, rather than subject experts. Edited more for format & style than content.	Articles are evaluated by an editorial board who may or may not be experts in the field. Edited more for format & style than content.	Articles are evaluated by peer-reviewers who are experts within the particular field. Edited for content.
Other Examples	Atlantic Monthly, New Yorker, Rolling Stone, Sports Illustrated, Time, Wired	Chemical & Engineering News, Chronicle of Higher Education, Legal Week, Nursing Times	Annals of Botany, Journal of Research in Personality, Studies in Philosophy & Education, Technical Communication Quarterly

For an excellent illustration of these topics, please see Acadia University Library's Scholarly Journals Research Guide.

To learn more about the peer review process, watch North Carolina State University Library's "Peer Review in 5 Minutes" video.

Note of Attribution: This guide was created using San Diego State University Library's Peer-Reviewed Articles Guide and North Carolina State University's Scholarly Vs. Popular Materials Guide.