Finding Scholarly Journals
Journal and magazines in particular are often classified as
either
scholarly (also called "academic" or "peer-reviewed") or
popular. Usually, your professor will want you to use scholarly
information sources but there are equally useful popular source
available as well.
Refereed materials, also
sometimes referred to as Peer Reviewed,
are publications reviewed by "expert readers" or referees prior to the
publication of the material. After
reading and evaluating the material, the referee informs the publisher
if the document should be published
or if any changes should be made prior to publication. Refereed
materials are
significant to your research because they assure readers that the
information conveyed
is reliable and timely. The editorial board is listed (generally at the
beginning of the journal)
along with the organizations they are affiliated with. You will also
find information about what types of papers are chosen for publication,
the selection process, the length of papers accepted, and how to
submit a paper.
Non-refereed materials such as trade
journals or magazines
may have a less intense screening process prior to publication. In some
publications, each article may be only screened by the publication's
editor, who is not necessarily an expert on the topic. Other
non-refereed materials accept almost anything submitted in order to
have something to print.
| |
Scholarly
Journals |
Trade
Magazines |
Popular
Magazines |
| Author |
Is
an "expert" or noted professional in the field. Has "authority" on the
topic and in the field. |
Often
written by a single author, specialist in a field or industry. |
Article
may not be signed. May be a freelance journalist, student, etc. |
| Advertising |
Very
little: if any, will be highly specialized and aimed at professionals
in the field. |
Moderate:
all or most are trade related. |
Slick,
glossy, significant amount; general, aimed at mass audience. |
| Audience |
The
target audience is other researchers, colleagues, students and
specialists in the same field. Research articles are written for the
scholarly community, rather than a general audience. |
Members
of a specific business, industry or organization, the content assumes a
certain level of specialized knowledge. |
Basic
reading level for general interest readers. |
| Availability/Frequency
of issue |
Issues
less frequently) monthly, quarterly, semi-annually). |
Issued
frequently (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly). |
Issues
frequently (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly). Likely found on a newsstand or
in a magazine store. |
| Indexing |
Articles
are listed in specialized databases and indexes, such as PsycInfo
or BIOSIS. |
Articles
are listed in specialized databases and indexes such as ABI/Inform
and general indexes such as ProQuest. |
Articles
are listed in general databases or indexes such as Readers'
Guide or ProQuest. |
| Purpose |
Research
articles are written to contribute to the knowledge base of the
discipline. |
Examines
the problems or trends of a particular industry, new products or
techniques. |
Current
events, popular culture, general interest. |
| Method
of Review |
Articles
must be submitted and reviewed anonymously by peers; editorial board
composed of scholars in the field |
Editorial
review, not peer reviewed. |
Editor(s)
or editorial board are members of the magazine’s staff. |
| Sources |
A
list of references is included at the end of each article. |
May
have short bibliography. Usually does not have footnotes. |
References
are generally not included or may be very brief. |
| Length |
Research
articles can vary in length, but average between five to fifty pages. |
Generally
short. |
Varies,
but usually five pages or less. |
| Language |
Generally
more formal, does not use the first person, and includes terminology
used in the field. |
Authors
tend to use jargon of the industry. |
Written
for the layman or non-professional. Tends to be a lees formal style of
writing. |
Examples
- Scholarly Journals: Nature, Journal of the
American Medical Association, Botany, Critical Inquiry
- Trade Magazines: APA Monitor, Advertising Age,
Beverage World
- Popular Journals: People, Newsweek, Sports
Illustrated, Ladies Home Journal.
Finding Articles in
Scholarly Journals
Your best option for finding scholarly sources is to use one
of the
databases. While there are scholarly sources on the free web, in many
cases, scholarly materials are only published in journals and are not
freely available. Using the databases can help you locate articles that
have been published in an academic or professional journal.
Some databases, such as ProQuest or Education
Abstracts allow you to restrict your search to only academic
or refereed journals.
You may find that most or all of the journals included in a particular
database are scholarly, refereed journals, so that proper
selection of the database may automatically eliminate the less
scholarly sources. A few examples, available from the Western
Libraries database page are:
- Annual Reviews (on 29 different topics)
- JSTOR
- Any of the Cambridge Scientific Abstracts databases
(PsycInfo, LLBA, ERIC, Social Services Abstracts, Sociological
Abstracts)
- Web of Science citation databases
Please see the Evaluating
Journals guide |