When you do serious library research for a term paper or project, most of the periodical articles you use for your paper should come from SCHOLARLY JOURNALS. This is especially true for upper-division courses and is essential for graduate-level research. This guide will help you to distinguish between scholarly journals and other kinds of periodicals.
PURPOSE: To communicate with the world of learning interested in the subject to which that journal is devoted. To report the results of recently concluded research projects, often experiments. To share with interested persons new ideas in the area. And, in review articles, to provide an extensive, annotated bibliography on one aspect of the subject as a guide for students and beginning researchers.
APPEARANCE: From the outside, usually bound in dull paper with the title boldly yet simply printed on the cover. Inside, the articles are printed one column to a page, as in books. There are few illustrations, and these are usually graphs or charts referring to specific points in the article.
AUTHORITY: Scholarly articles are usually written by the person who did the research being reported. When there are more than two authors for one article, the first-mentioned is usually the supervising professor and the others worked under that person.
VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY: Articles published in scholarly journals have received the approval of the members of the editorial board of that journal. These are scholars and other experts in the subject. The editorial board serves to ensure that all articles published are reliable, valid, well-written, and accurately documented.
WRITING STYLE: Articles are written in standard English utilizing the vocabulary of the discipline. Some preliminary understanding of the discipline is expected on the part of the reader.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: The authors of scholarly articles always cite their sources. These sources are usually listed at the end of the article, but may take the form of footnotes or endnotes.
POPULAR MAGAZINES: These are the ones that you see on the newsstand to buy and take home. The information they offer may or may not be valid. Their news generally does not have permanent value as each issue supersedes the last. Their purpose is chiefly to entertain. They very seldom, if ever, should be quoted in a serious paper.
Some examples are: Car and Driver, Esquire, Good Housekeeping, Omni, Readers Digest, and Sports Illustrated.
NEWS MAGAZINES: Sometimes these magazines can be of value in providing an introduction to topics of current interest, especially in national politics and international affairs. However, the articles seldom have depth and may be opinionated. Articles may be signed, but usually are written by members of the reporting staff who may or may not have done much research in preparation for writing.
Some examples are: Newsweek, Time, and U.S. News & World Report
OPINION MAGAZINES: These are good sources to read to collect ideas for writing papers. These magazines aim at an educated audience interested in understanding the significance of contemporary events and ideas -- social, political, and scientific. Typically, they offer information from a particular point of view which, when recognized, makes quotation acceptable, with caution.
Some examples are: Christian Century, Commonwealth, Nation, National Review, New Republic
TRADE MAGAZINES: These are glossy magazines, filled with ads. Their purpose is to inform and update people who work in a particular industry or occupation about current trends and events in that industry or occupation. They are very specialized newsmagazines. Many trade magazines publish one or more special issues each year which gather together useful information: statistics, directory lists, or new-product announcements.
Some examples are: Apparel Industry Magazine, Beverage Industry, Gold Course Management, Sales & Marketing Management
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