How Do I... 

Scholarly V. Popular Journals

 

Popular journals, or magazines, are written for the general public and provide general information.  They are published on a regular basis and are usually available at newsstands or bookstores.  They are attractive, heavily illustrated, and full of advertisements.  Some examples of magazine titles are Gourmet, Psychology Today and People.

Scholarly journals are concerned with academic study, especially research.  The articles in scholarly journals are written by professionals and experts in the field and contain language of the discipline being covered.  They are peer reviewed which means that a panel of experts in the field are on the board and review the articles that have been submitted for publication.  The articles submitted for publication have to go through a strict review process before being accepted for publication.  Some examples of scholarly journals include American Economic Review, Archives of Sexual Behavior, and the Journal of the American Medical Association.

How to find articles    

Scholarly journals, popular journals or magazines, and newspapers are called periodicals because they are published regularly, or "periodically".  Why use journal, magazine, or newspaper articles?

Articles found in journals, magazines, and newspapers have some basic characteristics. They are relatively short in length and address specific topics.  Articles are especially valued for providing current information.  However, journal, magazine, and newspaper articles each serve a different purpose.

Articles published in journals are written for students and scholars by experts in an academic or professional field. These journal articles are checked for accuracy and quality by experts in that field before being published.  These journals are called "refereed" or "peer-reviewed" journals and are considered more scholarly than most magazines or newspapers.  Use scholarly articles from refereed journals when:

• Doing academic research

• Locating current information on your topic for a research paper or project

• Looking for bibliographies that point to relevant research

Magazine articles cover current events and topics of popular interest. They are usually written by journalists for a general audience, not for scholars or students.  Use articles from magazines when:

• Searching for information or opinions about popular culture

• Looking for information about current events

• Identifying general articles for non-specialists

Newspaper articles offer the researcher the benefit of currency. They describe events or issues as they happen. Also, they offer a geographic focus and reflect local or regional perspectives. Most newspaper articles do not provide in-depth information required for a research paper.  Use newspaper articles when:

• Locating current information about international, national, and local events

• Finding reviews; book, film, theatre, music, and art

• Looking for editorials, commentaries, and opinions

If you know the title of the journal, magazine, or newspaper, look in the Library Catalog to find out if it is owned by the Library. Search by Journal Title.  If it is owned by the library, the catalog will provide the URL to the database(s) the electronic copy is available in as well as the volumes, dates, issue numbers available in print and owned by the library.

You can also search for full-text articles in electronic journals in Journal Locator. Search full-text electronic journals by journal title, subject categories, and/or database titles.

To begin your research, select an appropriate source that will probably have articles on your topic.  The Library subscribes to a number of printed indexes, electronic indexes, and full-text databases which provide access to articles published in journals, magazines, and newspapers.  Often an academic, multidisciplinary database is a good starting point.

Academic Search Premier
Contains full text for nearly 5,000 journals with multi-disciplinary coverage.

Expanded Academic ASAP
Provides coverage of articles in the humanities, social sciences, general sciences, and current events from more than 1,500 scholarly, trade, and general interest periodicals. Articles from over 500 journals are available in full text. It also provides citations to articles for the recent six months of the New York Times. Dates covered are from 1980 to present. 

Newspaper Source
Provides selected full-text articles from 143 U.S. and international newspapers. 

Most databases offer the option of printing, downloading and e-mailing articles.  

Interlibrary Loan Service
If the library does not have an article that you need we can get a copy of it for you from another library.  The library staff electronically contacts other libraries to request a copy of the article.  Complete the correct interlibrary loan form with all of the appropriate information and we will try to obtain a copy of the article for you.