Researching: Popular and Scholarly

Written by paid journalists, staff writers, freelance writers. An article usually has just one author.
Written for the general public. Often written to entertain as well as to inform.
Sources may be mentioned, but not formally cited.
Glossy cover, short articles, colorful images.
Subscriptions are inexpensive.

Examples:

The Atlantic — National Geographic — The Economist — Time

Written by unpaid specialists in the field, including professors and other researchers. An article often has several authors.
Written in specialized and technical language for academics and other specialists in the field to report research and analysis.
Usually peer reviewed (read and evaluated by specialists in the field).
Sources are formally cited in footnotes and bibliographies.
Long articles include an abstract and conclusion; may include charts, graphs, or tables.
Subscriptions are expensive.

Examples:

Psychological Science, from the Association for Psychological Science. For more information about the journal, go to the journal description.

Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, from the American Art Therapy Association. For more information about the journal, go to the journal Aims and Scope page.

Journal of Marketing Research, from the American Marketing Association. For more information about the journal, go to the about this journal page.

Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, published by Elsevier. For more information about the journal, go to the about the journal page.

Withgott, J. (2003). Refugee species are feeling the heat of global warming. New Scientist, 1774.

One author and affiliation is not listed.

Writing style is relatively informal.

Sources are not formally cited at the end of the article.

Cordellier, M., Pfenninger, A., Streit, B., & Pfenninger, M. (2012). Assessing the effects of climate change on the distribution of pulmonate freshwater snail biodiversity. Marine Biology, 159(11), 2519-2531.

Authors with affiliation.

Writing uses discipline specific jargon. Note the in-text citations.

Sources are listed at the end of the article.