Newsweek magazine for example, is written for a general audience simply to give an overview of recent news. American Journal of Political Science is a journal with original research written for people who specialize in the study of political science. On the whole, magazines are much less scholarly than journals, but they may help you gather background information to help you search further. It is a good idea to become familiar with the scholarly journals in your field. Authors often mention sources, but rarely formally cite them in bibliographies.
Individual issues contain numerous advertisements.
There is no peer review process. Articles are meant to inform and entertain. Illustrations are numerous and colorful. Authors cite their sources in endnotes, footnotes or bibliographies. Individual issues have little or no advertising.