Scholarly journals are also referred to as "peer reviewed", "academic", or "refereed" journals. The articles they contain usually have the following characteristics:
- Are written by a subject expert(s)
- Are aimed at a specific audience
- Often follow a fixed format that includes an abstract, introduction, methodology, results, discussion, and reference
- Involve extensive research as reflected in the list of references
- Are usually published on a monthly or quarterly basis (as opposed to daily or weekly)
- May have undergone a rigorous peer review process to be accepted for publication
