FYE 1022: Evolution of Engineering Technology (Kaul)

An important part of gathering and evaluating sources for research projects is knowing the difference between popular, scholarly, and trade publications. ​

• Popular magazine articles are typically written by journalists to entertain or inform a general audience,
• Scholarly articles are written by researchers or experts in a particular field. They use specialized vocabulary, have extensive citations, and are often peer-reviewed.
• Trade publications may be written by experts in a certain industry, but they are not considered scholarly, as they share general news, trends, and opinions, rather than advanced research, and are not peer-reviewed.

The physical appearance of print sources can help you identify the type of source as well. Popular magazines and trade publications are usually glossy with many photos. Scholarly journals are usually smaller and thicker with plain covers and images, In electronic sources you can check for bibliographies and author credentials or affiliations as potential indicators of scholarly sources.

	Popular Magazines	Scholarly (including peer-reviewed)	Trade Publications
Content	Current events; general interest articles	Research results/reports; reviews of research (review articles); book reviews	Articles about a certain business or industry
Purpose	To inform, entertain, or elicit an emotional response	To share research or scholarship with the academic community	To inform about business or industry news, trends, or products
Author	Staff writers, journalists, freelancers	Scholars/researchers	Staff writers, business/industry professionals
Audience	General public	Scholars, researchers, students	Business/industry professionals
Review	Staff editor	Editorial board made up of other scholars and researchers. Some articles are peer-reviewed	Staff editor
Citations	May not have citations, or may be informal (ex. according to... or links)	Bibliographies, references, endnotes, footnotes	Few, may or may not have any
Frequency	Weekly/monthly	Quarterly or semi-annually	Weekly/monthly
Ads*	Numerous ads for a variety of products	Minimal, usually only for scholarly products like books	Ads are for products geared toward specific industry
Examples on Publisher Site	Rolling Stone; New Yorker	Advances in Structural Engineering	Professional Engineering
Sample Article in Library Database	Rolling Stone; New Yorker	Advances in Structural Engineering	Professional Engineering

*Ads may not be visible when viewing articles through a library database

Adapted from Popular, Scholarly, or Trade by University of Texas Libraries.