Key difference: Magazines are popular periodicals that are published for the entertainment of people. They may contain number fluff pieces, general knowledge articles, celebrity news and gossip, etc. Journals are serious, scholarly publications that cover an entire industry or a specific area of science and education. They often contain original research or papers published by notable peers in that specific industry.

Journals and magazines are two different types of periodicals. Periodicals are literature that is published on a schedule to fulfill various different purposes. Magazines are popular periodicals that are published for the entertainment of people. They may contain number fluff pieces, general knowledge articles, celebrity news and gossip, etc. They are usually published weekly or monthly. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three.

Journals have a bigger scope than magazines. Journals may refer to scholarly journals, academic journals, a personal journal (which details one’s own research), etc. However, in common parlance, we use the term journals to refer to scholarly journals and/or academic journals.

These journals are serious, scholarly publications that cover an entire industry or a specific area of science and education. They are often published weekly, monthly, or even yearly. They often contain original research or papers published by notable peers in that specific industry. This research or papers are often peer-reviewed, where other peers in that industry scrutiny the data to ensure that the information is not fraudulent or incorrect. These journals are generally financed by the industry itself or an institution.

Various differences between general magazines and journals:

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