| Criteria | Popular | Trade | Scholarly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accountability | Editor | Editor | Peer reviewed / refereed |
| Advertisements | Heavy | Some, but usually related to the trade or topic the journal is designed for | Very few, if any |
| Appearance | Glossy pages numerous photographs and graphics, bright colors | May have glossy pages, photographs, graphics, charts or graphs, but used to support or enhance the article | Charts, graphs and other images are used to support or enhance the article |
| Audience | General public, entertainment-seekers | Professionals in the field | Professionals or researchers in the field |
| Authors | Publication staff members | Publication staff members and contributing authors (professionals in the field) | Contributing authors (experts or professionals in the field) |
| Citations | Rarely include references for source of information | May include references for sources | Complete references included |
| Language | Simple language designed to meet average reading level | May use trade jargon, written in a professional manor | Extremely formal, high-level; assumed reader is of a similar scholarly background |
| Purpose | To entertain or provide information about a special interest topic | to inform on trends, new ideas, professional advice | To disseminate research study results, to inform |
Use the mnemonic device, IMRaD, to remember the major sections of a peer-reviewed article based on an empirical study:
Introduction:
Usually not labeled, includes the literature review and introduces the theory used
Methods:
Describes research methods used (i. e. qualitative, mix methods) to collect data
Results:
Reports the findings from the data collected
and
Discussion:
Explains the implications of the findings and includes the conclusion
(Other sections: Abstract, references, and appendices)