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Popular Articles
Popular articles, on the other hand, are usually shorter in length, written by journalists or freelance writers, contain current events and news, appear in magazines, and appeal to the general audience. The following are examples of popular magazines, many of which can be purchased at a local super market or book store. (See Figure 2.)

Figure 2 - Front covers of Newsweek and The New Yorker

A Note on Size
The physical size of a periodical does not indicate whether or not it is scholarly of popular. Many, though not all, scholarly journals are smaller in size than a popular magazine like Newsweek presently is. However, the dimensions of Labor History (pictured on the previous page in Figure 1) are 10.5 inches high by 8 inches wide, the same size as Newsweek. Also, popular magazines such as Reader's Digest and TV Guide are smaller than the average popular magazine. Don't let the size fool you!

Still confused? Use the chart on the next page to help you understand the differences between scholarly and popular periodicals. We've also included characteristics on trade and industry journals and newspapers.

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