Which feature best distinguishes scholarly journals from magazines?

• A. Peer review process
• B. Longer page counts
• C. More advertisements
• D. Higher price

Answer: (A)

The feature that best distinguishes scholarly journals is the peer review process. In scholarly journals, submitted research is evaluated by independent experts in the field who scrutinize the study’s design, methods, data analysis, and conclusions before it can be published. This gatekeeping helps ensure that the work is credible, accurate, and meaningful to other researchers, which is a hallmark of scholarly communication.

Magazines, even those aimed at professionals, usually don’t go through this outside review. Their content is often written by journalists or editors and may be driven by timely topics, trends, or interest rather than rigorous validation of original research. Because page counts, ads, and price can vary a lot and aren’t unique to scholarly journals, they don’t reliably separate journals from magazines.