Friday, September 17, 2010

Identifying Journal Types

Here are some helpful hints for identifying journal types when browsing or searching for periodicals:

Scholarly Journals
  • Audience: scholars and students
  • Authors: scholars or experts in their fields - articles are always signed
  • Purpose: to report research findings
  • Length & Credits: articles are usually lengthy and have extensive footnotes & bibliographies. Article sources are always cited.
  • Pictures & Ads: articles rarely include illustrations, but may include charts or graphs. Journals rarely include advertisements.
  • Titles: usually include words such as "research", "review", or "journal"
  • Examples: American Historical Review, Reading Research Quarterly

Substantive Magazines

  • Audience: general public
  • Authors: reporters, free lance writers, or experts in their fields
  • Credits: articles are usually signed and credentials of the author are given. Occasionally articles may include sources.
  • Purpose: to provide information to a broad audience
  • Appearance: generally attractive with some advertisements
  • Examples: Time, Newsweek, Fortune, Scientific American

Popular Magazines

  • Audience: general public
  • Authors: usually staff writers, articles may not be signed
  • Purpose: to entertain and inform
  • Appearance: generally include photographs and illustrations, and many advertisements
  • Length: generally very short articles
  • Examples: Better Homes and Gardens, Self, Parents

You can find a link to our periodical holdings list on this blog's LINKS page.

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