SLS 580 - Graduate Reading, Writing and Grammar in Art and Design

Know how to identify scholarly (or peer reviewed) vs. trade periodicals for your assignment.

Courtesy of Wayne State University Library

Popular

• Audience: General
• Purpose: To entertain, sell products, or share news
• Format: Short and usually illustrated
• Sources: Quotes are usually attributed to the speaker, but few sources will be directly credited beyond this

Trade

• Audience: Professional
• Purpose: To keep professionals informed about news, trends, and practices in their field
• Format: Various article lengths with some industry jargon
• Sources: Quotes and sources are usually given attribution in-text, but are rarely cited separately

Scholarly

• Audience: Academic
• Purpose: To inform and advance scholarship
• Format: Longer format, often with field-specific language and limited illustrations
• Sources: Scholarly articles always cite their sources in footnotes and/or bibliographies