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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