A science journal is a scholarly periodical that publishes peer-reviewed research in the natural, physical, life or applied sciences. It is a specific kind of the broader category known as an academic or scholarly journal, which spans every discipline from the humanities to engineering. The terms are often used loosely, but the distinction matters when you are judging whether a source is authoritative.
Put simply: every science journal is an academic journal, but not every academic journal is a science journal. The wider label describes the form; the narrower label describes the subject area.
What makes a journal academic or scholarly
An academic, or scholarly, journal is defined less by its topic than by how it operates. The defining features are consistent across disciplines.
- Peer review. Submissions are evaluated by independent experts before acceptance, the safeguard explained in our guide to what peer review is.
- Original or synthesising scholarship. Articles report primary research, or systematically review and analyse existing work, rather than summarising it for a general audience.
- Citations and references. Claims are supported by a documented evidence trail.
- Named, credentialed authors. Contributions and affiliations are disclosed, supporting accountability and attribution, as set out in our contributor roles guidance.
- Editorial governance. An editorial board and stated policies oversee scope and standards.
Science journal versus the broader academic journal
The difference is primarily one of subject scope and audience, not of method.
| Feature | Science journal | Academic journal (general) |
|---|---|---|
| Subject focus | Natural, physical, life or applied sciences | Any discipline, including humanities and social sciences |
| Typical output | Empirical studies, experiments, datasets | Empirical studies, theoretical essays, critical analysis |
| Peer review | Yes | Yes |
| Example forms | Disciplinary titles; multidisciplinary science titles | Disciplinary and multidisciplinary titles across all fields |
Disciplinary versus multidisciplinary titles
Within both categories, journals may be disciplinary or multidisciplinary. A disciplinary journal concentrates on a single field and serves specialists, allowing reviewers and readers with deep domain expertise. A multidisciplinary journal publishes across several fields and aims at a wider scholarly readership, which can broaden a paper’s reach but requires careful editorial handling so that specialist work is still reviewed by appropriate experts. Some of the best-known science titles are multidisciplinary, which is one reason the phrase “science journal” is sometimes used as shorthand for prestige rather than for a precise subject scope.
Peer-reviewed journals versus magazines
A frequent confusion is between scholarly journals and science magazines or trade publications. Magazines may report on research accurately and accessibly, but they are written by journalists or staff writers for a general audience, are not peer reviewed, and do not present primary research with full methods and data. They are valuable for communication and current awareness, but they are secondary sources. A scholarly journal, by contrast, is where the original, peer-reviewed contribution to the record appears. Distinguishing the two is a core information-literacy skill and connects to the wider goals of our responsible assessment coverage.
How to tell whether a journal is scholarly
To judge a journal, look for a clearly stated peer-review policy, a named editorial board with verifiable affiliations, transparent author and ethics policies, structured articles with methods and references, and indexing in recognised databases. For open-access titles specifically, inclusion in a vetted directory is a useful signal of legitimate practice. These cues, rather than the word “science” in a title, are what separate a reliable scholarly source from a magazine or a predatory imitation, and they are catalogued in our standards dictionary.
Frequently asked questions
Is a science journal different from an academic journal?
A science journal is a type of academic journal that focuses on the sciences. “Academic journal” is the broader category covering every discipline, so all science journals are academic journals but not all academic journals are science journals.
Are all academic journals peer reviewed?
The defining feature of a scholarly academic journal is peer review. Some periodicals call themselves journals without operating genuine peer review, so it is wise to check the stated editorial process and indexing.
What is the difference between a journal and a science magazine?
A scholarly journal publishes original, peer-reviewed research with full methods and references. A science magazine reports on research for a general audience, is written by journalists, and is not peer reviewed, making it a secondary source.
What makes a journal multidisciplinary?
A multidisciplinary journal publishes work across several fields rather than a single discipline, aiming at a broad scholarly readership while still subjecting each submission to appropriate expert peer review.