A scholarly (or academic) journals is one that is written by experts in the field. To publish in an academic journal requires authors to submit their articles for peer-review. Peer-review is rigorous process in which an author's research paper undergoes scrutiny from other experts in the same field. Reviewers assess the paper for originality, validity, and significance. One such example is the Journal of Dramatic Theory & Criticism (listed below).
A popular journal is one that is written for the general public. All articles are edited by an editor but it does not contain a peer-review process. One such is example is National Geographic, while it is a quality source of information, it does not meet the criteria for a scholarly source.
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