Magazine vs. Journal

Criteria	Magazines	Journals
Level:	Popular, "easy reading"	Scholarly, technical, research based
References:	None	Yes, good bibliographies and/or footnotes
Advertisements:	Lots, foods, household goods, etc.	None or only special products aimed at professional users
Audience:	Lay people, "just folks"	Scholars, students of the field
Publishers:	For profit corporations	Learned societies, professional associations, governmental organizations, education institutions, or others interested in furthering knowledge
Inclusion:	Single editor or board judging piece on interest, style, readability, and conformity to the magazine's purpose	Editorial board of fellow scholars reviewing the work for validity, reliability, contribution
Visuals:	People, places, general illustrations, few graphs, tables, etc.	Generally fewer visuals; when included, tend to be tables, graphs, charts
Appearance:	Glossy, "snazzy", colorful, good looking	Good paper, high quality production
Pagination:	Start with page 1 each issue	Continuous through volume

The word "journal" or lack thereof does not necessarily indicate whether or not an item is a journal. For further information about magazines and journals, consult Ulrich's Periodical Directory (REF Z6941.U5) or Magazines for Libraries (REF Z6941.K2).