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Distinguishing
Scholarly Journals from Other Periodicals
Journals and magazines are important
sources for up-to-date information in
all disciplines. In this guide we have
divided the criteria for periodical literature
into five categories:
Scholarly
Journals
Substantive
News/General Interest
Popular
Magazines
Sensational
Publications
Trade
Publications
For More Information About
Individual Periodical Titles
DEFINITIONS:
Webster's Third International Dictionary defines scholarly as:
1) concerned with
academic study, especially research,
2) exhibiting the
methods and attitudes of a scholar, and
3) having the manner
and appearance of a scholar.
Substantive is defined as having a solid base,
being substantial.
Popular means fit for, or reflecting the
taste and intelligence of, the people at large.
Sensational is defined as
arousing or intending to arouse
strong curiosity, interest, or
reaction.
Trade is defined as the
business or work in which one engages
regularly.
Keeping these definitions in
mind, and realizing that none
of the lines drawn between types
of journals can ever be totally
clear cut, the general criteria
are as follows.
Scholarly
Journals
- Scholarly journals
generally have a sober, serious
look. They often contain many
graphs and charts but few glossy
pages or exciting pictures.
- Scholarly journals
always cite their sources in
the form of footnotes or bibliographies.
- Articles are
written by a scholar in the
field or by someone who has
done research in the field.
- The language
of scholarly journals is that
of the discipline covered.
It assumes some scholarly background
on the part of the reader.
- The main purpose
of a scholarly journal is to
report on original research
or experimentation in order
to make such information available
to the rest of the scholarly
world.
Many scholarly journals, though
by no means all, are published
by a specific professional organization.
Examples of scholarly journals:
American Art
Journal
American Economic
Review
American Historical
Review
Archives of
Sexual Behavior
Behavioral Ecology
Ethnic and Racial
Studies
JAMA: The Journal
of the American Medical Association
Journal of Marriage
and the Family
Sex Roles: A
Journal of Research
Substantive
News/General Interest
These periodicals may be quite
attractive in appearance, although
some are in newspaper format.
- Articles are
often heavily illustrated,
generally with photographs.
- News and general
interest periodicals sometimes
cite sources, though more often
do not.
- Articles may
be written by a member of the
editorial staff, a scholar,
or a freelance writer.
- The language
of these publications is geared
to any educated audience. There
is no specialty assumed, only
interest and a certain level
of intelligence.
- They are generally
published by commercial enterprises
or individuals, although some
emanate from specific professional
organizations.
- The main purpose
of periodicals in this category
is to provide information,
in a general manner, to a broad
audience of concerned citizens.
Examples of substantive news/general
interest periodicals:
Christian Science
Monitor
Economist
National Geographic
New York Times
Scientific American
Vital Speeches
of the Day
Popular
Magazines
- Popular periodicals come in many
formats, although they are often somewhat slick
and attractive in appearance. They contain lots
of graphics (photographs, drawings, etc.).
- Popular magazines usually include
articles written by journalists rather than specialists.
- These publications rarely, if ever,
cite sources. Information published in such journals
is often second or third hand, and the original
source is sometimes obscure.
- Articles are usually very short,
written in simple language, and designed to meet
a minimal education level. There is generally little
depth to the content of these articles.
- The main purpose of popular periodicals
is to entertain the reader, to sell products (their
own or their advertisers), and/or to promote a
viewpoint.
Examples of popular magazines:
Ebony
Parents
People Weekly
Readers Digest
Sports Illustrated
Time
Vogue
Sensational
Publications
- Sensational periodicals come in a
variety of styles, but often use a newspaper format.
Their language is elementary and occasionally inflammatory
or sensational. They assume a certain gullibility
in their audience.
- The main purpose of sensational magazines
seems to be to arouse curiosity and to cater to
popular superstitions. They often do so with flashy
headlines designed to astonish (e.g. "Half-man
Half-woman Makes Self Pregnant").
- These publications rarely cite sources
of information.
Examples of sensational publications:
Globe
National Examiner
Star
Weekly World
News
Trade
Publications
- Trade publications are often published
through a professional association and usually
are written by practitioners or educators within
the industry or profession.
- Their primary purpose is to provide
news and information to people in a particular
industry or profession.
- Advertisements are for industrial
or specialized products and are aimed at people
in that organization or industry.
Examples of trade publications:
Industry Week
Macworld
Publisher's
Weekly
For
More Information About Individual Periodical Titles
There are reference books that describe and evaluate
periodicals. For evaluations of specific periodicals,
use:
Katz, Bill, and Linda Sternberg Katz. Magazines
for Libraries. 11th ed.
(Reference 050 M27)
An annotated listing by subject of over 6,000 periodicals.
Each entry gives name of periodical, beginning publication
date, publisher, editor, address, price and such
information as indexing, size, and level of audience.
Includes short abstracts describing the scope, political
slant, and other aspects of the publication. Arrangement
is topical, bringing magazines and journals on like
subjects together. To find an individual title, use
the title index at the end of the volume.
Credit:
Adapted from The Seven Steps of the Research Process
Michael Engle
moe1@cornell.edu
Division of Reference Services
Cornell University Library
Division of Reference Services
Olin*Kroch*Uris
Libraries Cornell University Library
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