| Scholarly | Popular |
|---|
| Signed by the author | May be unsigned |
| The author is an expert in the field | May be written by someone outside the field |
| The author's position and institution are given | The author's position and institution are not given |
| Sources are always cited in the form of footnotes or references |
References are usually not provided |
| The articles published for expert or academic readers and are usually serious and research-oriented. Tables, graphs and diagrams are often included |
The articles are published to entertain the reader, promote a viewpoint and/or sell products and are not based on scholarly research. The articles are usually slick and attractive in appearance or highly illustrated. |
| Specialised language is used | Simple language is used |
| The journals are published by an association or scholarly press |
Popular journals usually contain advertisements |
