Facebook
Twitter
YoutubeResearch Help Tutorial:
How to Find a Scholarly Article
Text Version
When doing research, you will need to know the difference between Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals, Trade Journals and the popular press.
Scholarly Journals contain articles which have been peer reviewed, meaning others in the field have examined the articles and determined they represent credible, quality research and or reports before being published.
So an article can be “scholarly” without having to be peer reviewed, but all peer reviewed articles are scholarly.
If you need help finding a peer review article, click here for a tutorial on that topic.
This tutorial will cover the difference between scholarly journals, trade journals and the popular press.
Scholarly journals are important for academic work because they are written by experts and use sources that can be verified. There are many excellent popular press magazines and newspapers. None-the-less, if you are required to use a scholarly article for your assignment, these publications are not appropriate.
Definitions
- Scholarly journals are concerned with academics, especially research.
- Trade journals are most often concerned with some aspect of a trade. They are of high quality, but they are not peer reviewed.
- Popular magazines and newspapers are written for the general reader’s information and entertainment.
Appearance
Sometimes (but not always) the appearance of the journal itself can be a tip-off.
- Scholarly journals generally have a plain cover and a more serious look.
- Scholarly journal often contain many graphs and charts but few glossy pages or images
- Magazines have eye-catching covers, glossy pictures and illustrations in color.
- Magazines come in many formats that are often slick and attractive.
Audience
- The audience for scholarly journals includes professors, researchers, professionals, and students.
- The popular press is read by everyone!
Authors
Experts, scholars, professionals and researchers write scholarly articles; experts and scholars also occasionally write for the popular press as well as staff writers and generalist.
Content
Scholarly articles contain original research, in-depth studies, results from research projects, methodology and theory. The author is always identified
Magazines focus on news, popular culture, hobbies, and celebrity gossip. Articles written by staff, may be unsigned.
Purpose
To make the information available to scholarly and professional communities.
The purpose of the popular press is to entertain, promote a viewpoint, or sell a product.
Accountability
Scholarly and many trade articles cite their sources in footnotes of bibliographies. Most popular press articles do not give detailed accounts of their sources, thus the information can be difficult to verify.
Where do I go to find scholarly articles?
One easy way is to use the library databases.
If you are still having trouble finding a scholarly article on your topic, visit the Reference Desk in the Commons or IM with a librarians using Ask A Librarian