| Here are some of the differences among scientific, professional, and popular literature. |
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Scientific Literature
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Professional Literature
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Popular Literature
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Alternative Description
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Scholarly journals,
Peer reviewed journals
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Trade publications, government reports
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Popular magazines
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Content
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Research projects, methodology, and theory
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Summarizes ongoing information about research field
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News, opinions, and general interest articles
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Author
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Expert or specialist in the field
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Expert or specialist in the field
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Journalist, staff, or freelance writer
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Purpose
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Report research, advance knowledge
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Provide general information about advances in field
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Inform, persuade, or entertain
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Editors
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Board of experts in the field (refereed, peer reviewed)
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General editors on staff
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General editors on staff
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Design/Layout
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Plain, articles have methods, results, & discussion sections
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Plain, articles have general layout
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Glossy, eye-catching, articles have general layout
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Advertisements
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Few or none
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Few or none
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Heavy
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Article Length
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Longer
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Longer
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Shorter
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Bibliography
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Yes – always cite sources
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Maybe
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No- rarely cite sources
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