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English 103 - Critical/Argumentative Writing - Professor Morrison: Types of Publications

Magazines or Journals?

Magazines - Periodicals that appeal to the general reader are usually referred to as magazines.

  • appeal to a broad audience
  • have relatively short articles
  • are written in non-technical language
  • are easy to understand

Journals - Journals are scholarly publications, often publishing original research, primary information, or information that has been reviewed by scholars or peers (peer-reviewed).

  • have limited readers
  • are written by scholars or experts in the subject
  • use technical vocabulary
  • have a complex writing style

Newspaper articles, while not scholarly or professional, can give you the most current news and some additional facts on your topic.

Scholarly Journals, Popular Magazines, Trade Publications

What is a Scholarly Journal?

Scholarly journals are generally published by and for experts. A publication is considered to be peer reviewed if its articles go through an official editorial process that involves review and approval by the author’s peers (people who are experts in the same subject area.) Articles in scholarly journals present new, previously unpublished research. Scholarly sources will almost always include:

  • Bibliography and footnotes
  • Author’s name and academic credentials

Use scholarly journals for highly focused original research. 

Examples: AMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, African American Review, Modern Fiction Studies, American Psychologist and American Sociological Review 

What is a Popular Magazine?

Articles in popular magazines tend to be written by staff writers or freelance journalists and are geared towards a general audience. While most magazines adhere to editorial standards, articles do not go through a peer review process and rarely contain bibliographic citations. Popular magazines are periodicals that one typically finds at grocery stores, airport newsstands, or bookstores. Use popular magazines for a general overview of current news and opinions, or firsthand accounts of an event.

Examples: Popular magazines range from highly respected publications such as Scientific American and The Atlantic Monthly to general interest magazines like People, Sports Illustrated and Newsweek and US News & World Report.

What is a Trade Publication?

Trade publications focus on a specific profession or trade. Articles in trade magazines cover the interest of skilled laborers, technicians, and artisans. Professional magazines cover the interests of professors, librarians, and members of other fields that require advanced degrees. Subject magazines cover a topic of interest to one or more professions. Use trade magazines for overviews of news and research in a particular field.

Examples: Legal Assistant Today and Library Journal

Side by Side Comparison - Scholarly, Popular, Trade

 

SCHOLARLY JOURNALS

POPULAR MAGAZINES

TRADE PUBLICATIONS

 

 

APPEARANCE

Print:

  •  Plain cover
  •  Plain paper
  •  B&W graphics and      illustrations
  •  No pictures
  •  Pages are consecutive  throughout the volume

 

Web site:

  •  plain, functional

Print:

  •  Eye-catching cover
  •  Glossy paper
  •  Color pictures and illustrations
  •  Each issue starts with page 1

 

Web site:

  •  “flashy”

Print:

  •  Cover depicts industrial setting
  •  Glossy pictures and illustrations
  •  Each issue starts with page 1

 

 

Web site:

·  varies from flashy to

   plain/functional

AUDIENCE

Scholars, researchers, students

General public

People in the business or industry

 

CONTENT

News and research (methodology, theory) from the field

Current events, personalities, and general interest articles

Industry trends, new products or techniques, and organizational news

 

STYLE

Written for experts using technical language

Journalistic; written for nonprofessional or layperson.

Written for people in the business or industry using technical language

AUTHOR

Experts, scholars

Journalists, staff

Practitioners, staff

 

ACCOUNTABILITY

Peer reviewed, refereed

 

Always bibliographies

Editorial review

 

No bibliographies

Editorial review

 

May have short bibliographies

ADS

Few or none

Many, often in color

Some, often in color

FREQUENCY

Usually monthly or quarterly

Usually weekly or monthly

Usually weekly or monthly

 

EXAMPLES

American Journal of Nursing

 

Journal of Social Issues

Rolling Stone

 

Newsweek

American Libraries

 

Chronicles of Higher Education

Primary or Secondary?

For some research assignments, it is important to use primary sources, instead of or in addition to secondary sources. What’s the difference?

Primary sources are original documents or objects—first-hand information or the raw material. These original documents are often diaries, letters, memoirs, journals, speeches, or interviews. They may also include published pieces such as newspaper or magazine articles, as long as they are written soon after the fact and not as historical accounts. Eye witness accounts, photographs, audio or video recordings, research reports in the natural or social sciences, or original literary or theatrical works are also considered primary sources.

Secondary sources interpret primary sources. Secondary sources include comments on, interpretations of, or discussions about the original material. You can think of secondary sources as second-hand information. Secondary source materials can be articles in newspapers or popular magazines, book or movie reviews, or articles found in scholarly journals that evaluate or criticize someone else’s original research.

 

Examples of Primary and Secondary Sources

 

 

Primary Source

Secondary Source

 

Art

Original artwork

Article critiquing the piece of art

History

Slave diary

Book about the Underground Railroad

Literature

Poem

Treatise on a particular genre of poetry

Political Science

Treaty

Essay on Native American land rights

Science or Social Sciences

Report of an original experiment

Review of several studies on the same topic

Theatre

Videotape of a performance

Biography of a playwright

 

Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Sources CHART

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