Your instructor has asked you to find a "scholarly journal" or "professional journal" as opposed to a popular magazine. No clear-cut definition can be given but the following are some clues to help you distinguish between them.
A scholarly journal can not be defined by one or two features nor do all features have to be present to make it a journal. Look for a majority of the traits listed above. If in doubt, ask your instructor or a librarian.
| Magazines | Scholarly Journals | |
| Author | Journalist; layperson. Sometimes author unknown. May be scholar but not in field covered. | Expert, scholar, professor, etc. in field covered. Identified author. |
| Notes | Few or no references or notes | Includes notes and/or research |
| Style | Journalistic, written for average reader | Written for experts, shows research |
| Editing | Reviewed by one or more persons employed by magazine. | Editorial board of outside scholars review articles before publishing. |
| Audience | General public | Scholars or researchers in the field. |
| Ads | Many, often in color | Few or none. If any, usually look for books and other 'scholarly' items. |
| Look | Glossy, many pictures often in color | More sedate look, mostly print. |
| Frequency | Usually weekly or monthly | Usually quarterly or monthly. |
| Contents | Current events; general interest | More specialized; research topics. |
| Indexes | Found in general periodical indexes | Found in subject specialized indexes. |