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Touro College Libraries
Scholarly, Trade and Popular Materials
In academic research, there is a clear preference for scholarly materials.
Scholarly materials
Scholarly materials have a serious appearance and contain very little advertising.
They are written for professors, students, or researchers. They are
signed by authors who have expertise or have done research, and who are
affiliated with or sponsored by a professional association. The materials
follow a format that includes an abstract, literature review, methodology,
results, conclusion, and references to sources, either in footnotes, endnotes,
or bibliographies. They may also include tables, graphs, or illustrations
to support the research findings. The materials are reviewed by a
board of experts and called "peer-reviewed." They attempt to advance
knowledge, and use language that assumes the reader has some knowledge
of the discipline.
Trade or professional materials
Trade or professional materials may have a bright cover and contain advertising
that appeals to those in the industry or field. They are written
to provide information of use to that particular industry or field of study.
They are unsigned, follow no specific format, and are reviewed by general
editors.
Popular materials
Popular materials may have a bright cover, and contain many glossy picturess
and lots of advertising. They are written to attract a broad segment
of the population and are usually published commercially. They may
be unsigned, or the author may be a scholar, free lance writer, or editor.
The materials follow no specific format, sometimes include references to
sources, and may include tables, graphs, or illustrations. They have
second- or third-hand information, are opinions on a contemporary issue,
and attempt to inform/entertain a wide audience of topics of general interest.
Examples
Below are examples of scholarly, trade, and popular materials in different
fields of study.
| Field of study |
Scholarly Journals |
Trade Journals |
Popular Magazines |
| Business |
Harvard Business Review |
International Accountant |
Business Week |
| Education |
Educational Researcher |
Action in Teacher Education |
Education Week |
| Health Sciences |
JAMA |
American Family Physician |
Prevention |
| Jewish Studies |
Journal of Jewish Thought and Philosophy |
Shomrim News |
Moment |
| Literature |
Studies in Short Fiction |
James Joyce Journal |
New York Times Book Review |
| Psychology |
Psychobiology |
Educational Psychologist |
Psychology Today |
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