This guide offers some tips to help distinguish scholarly journals from other periodicals. Characteristics of Scholarly Journals Purpose. Scholarly journals communicate the results of research in the field of study covered by the journal. Scholarly articles reflect a systematic and thorough study of a single topic, often involving experiments or surveys. Scholarly journals may also occasionally publish review articles that summarize the current state of knowledge on a topic.
Scholarly journals lack the slick advertising, want ads, coupons, etc., found in popular magazines.
The articles are often printed one column to a page, as in books, and there are often graphs, tables, or charts referring to specific points in the articles. When more than two authors are listed for a single article, the first author listed is often the primary researcher who coordinated or supervised the work done by the other authors. The most highly-regarded scholarly journals are often those sponsored by professional associations, such as the American Psychological Association or the American Chemical Society. Validity and Reliability. Articles submitted to scholarly journals are evaluated by an editorial board and other experts before they are accepted for publication.