For most purposes, scholarly and peer-reviewed journals are very similar—but there is a slight distinction.
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Scholarly journals are written by experts for an academic audience. They typically:
- Report on original research, theory, or methodology
- Include in-depth analysis
- Always have a bibliography or references
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Peer-reviewed journals are a type of scholarly journal where each article is reviewed by a panel of subject experts before publication. These reviewers check for:
- Accuracy
- Clarity
- Relevance
- Sound research design
While not all scholarly journals are peer-reviewed, all peer-reviewed journals are scholarly. You may also hear them referred to as academic or refereed journals.
