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JOURNALS.docx

Introduction

Much of the scholarly research published today is published as journal articles. This page will cover how to tell if what you've found is a journal article and the differences between scholarly journals, trade publications, and popular magazines.

Identify journals

As you are searching in the Library and online, sometimes it will be very obvious that you've found a journal article. Other times, it might not be so clear.

Here are a few clues that will help you pick out journal article reference citations:

· Two titles: A journal will have an article title and a journal title.

· Volume and issue number: Most journals are organized by volume and issue number. The volume is associated with a specific time frame, usually a year; the issue number reflects each issue published for the volume range.

· Page numbers: Journal articles generally only cover a certain number of pages.

 

While you will encounter many different styles for citing articles, they usually contain similar information, just in different orders. In APA 7th, journal article reference citations follow this general format:

Author. (Year). Article title.  Journal title, volume number(issue number), page numbers. https://doi.org/xxxxx (“xxxxx” refers to the DOI number)

 

Here is an example:

Wood, M. (2016). Social marketing for social change.  Social Marketing Quarterly, 22(2), 107-118.  https://doi.org/10.1177/1524500416633429

Note: Not all journal reference citations will follow this format exactly. If you have questions about citing an article using APA style, please contact the  Writing Center.

 

Here is an example of what the first page of a journal article may look like:

Abstract page:  title, author,  journal, year, volume, issue, page numbers, and DOI

· First page of Social Marketing for Social Change (PDF)

Journal types

Journals, also known as periodicals or magazines, generally fall under three categories:

· Scholarly Journals

· Trade Publications

· Popular Magazines  

Scholarly journals

Scholarly journals are written by academics for academics. They are generally focused on a specific academic field or discipline. Their purpose is to advance scholarship in that field by publishing in-depth research studies. Most scholarly journals are also peer reviewed. In fact, in a number of library databases, when you limit your results to only scholarly journals you also limit your results to only peer reviewed journals. You can find out more about the peer review process on our  Verify Peer Review guide.

Trade publications

Trade publications, or professional magazines, are written by staff writers or practitioners in a given trade or profession. The intent is to share industry news, trends, and advances. They are also used to advertise trade specific products and job openings. Most trade publications do not undergo a peer-review process; however, there are exceptions. You can use  Ulrich's Periodicals Directory to verify if a trade publication is peer reviewed.

Popular magazines

Popular magazines are written by journalists to inform or entertain the general public. They cover current events, celebrities, sports, fashion, etc. They are not peer reviewed and generally contain a large number of advertisements.

Scholarly, trade, & popular

The chart below goes over some of the main differences between scholarly journals, trade publications, and popular magazines.

Publication Comparison Chart:

Details

Scholarly Journals

Trade Publications

Popular Magazines

Purpose

Report on research studies, advance knowledge

Provide news, information on an industry

Inform, entertain

Scope

Narrow focus on one academic field

Practical information for a specific industry

Broad overview of topics

Content

Research reports, methodology, theory

Industry trends, products, association news

News, opinions, general interest

Accountability    

Peer reviewed

Professional ethics

Journalistic ethics

Audience

Students, researchers, scholars

Professionals, practitioners 

General public

Title

Often includes  journalreview, or  bulletin

Often includes industry name

Rarely includes  journalreview, or  bulletin

Author(s)

Experts, scholars, specialists

Professionals, staff writers

Journalists

Writing Style

Scholarly, technical

Technical

Informal, journalistic, conversational

Language

Technical, assumes a scholarly background

Industry jargon

Easily accessible

Article Length

Longer

Moderate

Short

Organization

Structured; abstract, literature review, methodology, etc

No specific format or structure

No specific format or structure

Abstract

Yes

Maybe

No

Visuals

Graphs, charts that support the research

Pictures, illustrations

Pictures, illustrations 

Bibliography

Always cite sources, bibliography in accepted style

May cite sources

Rarely cite sources

Publisher

Academic press, professional organization

Professional, trade association

Commercial publisher

Examples of scholarly, trade, & popular

Scholarly Journals Examples:

· Academy of Management Review

· Annual Review of Psychology

· Journal of Advanced Nursing

· Journal of Counseling Psychology

· Journal of Educational Psychology  

Trade Publications Examples:

· American Bar Association Journal

· Nursing Times

· Primary Health Care

· Publishers Weekly  

Popular Magazines Examples:

· Better Homes and Gardens

· National Geographic

· Newsweek

· Scientific American

· Time

More information

· Quick Answer: How do I find articles on my topic?

· Quick Answer: How do I find research articles?

· Quick Answer: How do I find scholarly, peer reviewed journal articles?

· Quick Answer: How do I find a specific journal in the Library?

· Keyword Searching: Finding Articles on Your Topic

· Find Full Text

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