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Sport Management: What is a Scholarly Journal?

Is this Journal Scholarly?

 

Scholarly Journals

Trade Journals

Popular Magazines

Purpose

To present and report on original research findings in a specific field / discipline

To identify profession / industry trends and developments, and provide practical advice

To inform and entertain a general audience, produced and sold for profit

Appearance

Plain, “serious” cover

Text with black & white graphs, charts, and photographs which support the author’s research

Generally glossy cover

Color photographs and illustrations used to support the article as well as draw in readers

Glossy cover

Color photographs and illustrations used to support the article as well as draw in readers

Authorship

Expert, scholar, or researcher in the field / discipline

Practitioner within the profession / industry or specialty journalist

Magazine writer or free-lance writer.  Credentials often not provided

Structure & Writing Style

Lengthy articles with abstract, literature review, methodology, results conclusion, and bibliography

Uses technical terminology of the specific field / discipline

Brief articles with no set structure

Uses jargon of the specific profession / industry

Usually brief articles but can be longer and sometimes structured

Uses simple language , meeting a minimum education level

Validity

Articles reviewed and evaluated by other experts in the field / discipline (peer reviewed / refereed)

Articles may be reviewed by one editor with knowledge related to the topic

Articles are not evaluated by experts in the discipline, but by editors on staff

Bibliography

Each article includes full footnotes and/or bibliographies

Some articles include brief footnotes and/or bibliographies

Very few articles include bibliographies

Examples

  • American Journal of Education
  • Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
  • Modern Fiction Studies
  • Indiana Business
  • Instrumentalist
  • Preaching
  • Time
  • Ladies Home Journal
  • Car and Driver