What's the difference between a magazine and a journal?

Answer

Here are some differences between magazines and journals:

Authorship 

  • Magazine articles may be written by journalists or professional writers.
  • Journal articles are written by subject experts.
  • Magazines are edited by journalists.
  • Journals are peer reviewed by experts or scholars in the field.

Audience 

  • Magazines are written for a general audience.
  • Journals are written for a professional or college-level audience.

Content 

  • Magazine articles are easier to read and may contain more opinion-based or entertaining material. 
  • Since journal articles are written by experts, they contain more technical language and are college-level.  
  • Journal articles usually contain information about a specific research study that was done, and include the methodology used and the conclusions found.
  • Magazines usually contain more ads than journals.

References 

  • Just as students are required to list the source material they used for a research paper, scholarly journal articles typically have a lengthy references list. 
  • Magazine articles often do not contain references.

Thank you for using ASK US. For more information, please contact your Baker librarians.

  • Last Updated Feb 10, 2021
  • Views 17109
  • Answered By Baker Librarians

FAQ Actions

Was this helpful? 52 4

Comments (1)

  1. Good description and explanation
    by Prasad on Nov 16, 2013

We'll answer you within 3 hours M - F 8:00 am - 4:00 pm.

Your Question
Your Info
Fields marked with * are required.