Skip to Main Content
CSU Global Library logo

Peer Reviewed vs. Popular Magazine Articles: What makes it a peer reviewed article?

Periodicals

Periodicals are publications which is distributed on a regular basis, such as a journal, magazine, newspaper, or newsletter.  These publications vary widely in their characteristics, intended audience and purpose.
 

image of magazines		 image of scholarly journals image of newspapers

Comparison Chart

 
Newspapers

Newspapers are periodicals issued at frequent intervals (usually daily, semi-weekly or weekly).
Magazines

Magazines are periodicals that inform readers about issues of common interest to the general public. 
Professional/Trade Publications

(may be considered scholarly)

 
Trade publications contain articles by people working in a particular field of study.
Peer Reviewed/Scholarly Journals

Scholarly journal articles typically convey sophisticated and advanced knowledge. The phrase "peer reviewed" is generally considered synonymous with the term "scholarly" when referring to articles or journals.
Authors
 are usually journalists or freelance writers

 

are usually journalists or freelance writers

 can be professionals in the field of journalists working for the publisher. are experts (professors, scholars, researchers) in a given field
 Content/Language 

 

can include local, national and international news, and is intended for a general audience.

 includes news and general interest articles; language is simple. includes industry trends, new products or techniques and discipline-specific news; will include some industry-specific terms. tends to be highly specialized and includes individual research projects, methodology and theory; may undergo a peer-review process and assumes the reader has some scholarly knowledge.
Appearance
 includes illustrations and pictures, advertising is very apparent.

 

includes colors, illustrations and photographs; advertising is very apparent.

 contains pictures and illustrations relevant to the profession; advertising is geared specifically towards professionals within the discipline. contains very few graphics except those that link directly to text; advertising is minimal.
Sources

 

may or may not be cited.

 are rarely cited--and the original source is sometimes obscure. may or may not be cited (oftentimes they are cited within a few articles but not all of them) are always cited (although they are often cited in a style other than APA).
Publishers

 

are usually commercial enterprises or individuals.

 are often commercial enterprises. include professional organizations and some commercial enterprises are often research organizations or universities.
Examples
 New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Boulder Daily Camera, Denver Post Newsweek, Time Chronicle of Higher Education, Science Teacher Leadership Quarterly, Computers in Human Behavior, Journal of the American Medical Association, PLOS ONE.
Sample Access Tools

Newspaper Source

Nexis Uni

Academic Search Premier

ProQuest Research Library

ABI Inform Trade & Industry

ERIC

Business Source Complete

 Turn on the Peer Reviewed limiter when searching a database.

 

* A note about peer review: Peer Review is a type of scholarly publication.  Before an article is accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal, it is reviewed by several experts in the field who may suggest possible changes.  These experts also recommend to the journal editor if the article should be published or not.

Copyright Information

Adapted from the University of Michigan Library Instructor College’s “Useful Terms Guide.” http://www.lib.umich.edu/instructor-college/lesson-plans#bib