| Instructors will frequently
ask for articles from a "scholarly journal" for your paper or project. Just what
is a scholarly journal? How does it differ from a popular magazine? Here are some
tips on discovering which is which. Scholarly articles
are:
Lengthy and list references in footnotes
or bibliographies. Written by someone who has conducted
research in the field. Reports of original research
or experimentation. Not illustrated, except with graphs
or charts; usually have no color pictures or ads. Periodicals
with titles like "Journal of the" or "Journal for the" are usually scholarly.
Examples: Journal of American Folklore, Shakespeare
Quarterly, Journal of Quantum Physics Popular
articles are:
Short and written to inform or
entertain the general public Illustrated with glossy
or color photographs and ads. Rarely footnoted and sources
used are seldom listed. Written by the magazine's staff
or freelance writers. Sold in stores, at newsstands,
etc. Examples: Newsweek, Sports Illustrated, Psychology
Today, People Weekly, Forbes, Time, Cosmopolitan, Elle Electronic
article hints:
The more subject-specific the
database, the more likely that the articles in the database are scholarly. Longer
articles are more likely to be scholarly than shorter ones. |