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IN-FOCUS: Writing for College Success (Yarnoff)

To support rising high school juniors and seniors in "Writing for College Success," an NU IN FOCUS Seminar.

Scholarly and Other Article Types

Magazines, journals, scholarly, popular, peer-reviewed...??  If you've ever run across any or a combination of these terms and needed clarification on their distinct meanings, this page aims to provide it.

 

Scholarly Journals

Trade Journals

Popular Magazines

Newspapers

Examples

Social Psychology Quarterly

Advertising Age

Time

New York Times

Content

Primary account of original research; In-depth analyses of issues in the field; Articles often include abstract, method, discussion, tables, conclusion, and references

Current news, trends, or products in an industry or professional organization; Statistics, forecasts, employment and career information

Current events and news; General information with purpose to entertain or inform; Analyses of popular culture; Secondary account of someone else's research that may include opinion

Current events and news that may be local, regional, national or international; Ads, editorials, speeches; Primary source for information on events

Language

Academic, technical jargon that uses the language of the discipline; Requires some relevant expertise

Specialized jargon or terminology of the field; Written for practitioners/professionals

Easily understandable, non-technical language; Written for the layperson

Written for a general audience; Understandable language

Authors

Researchers, scholars, professors, etc.

Practitioners in the field, industry professionals, or journalists with subject expertise

Journalists or staff writers

Journalists or staff writers

References

References, footnotes or bibliographies are always included

References in text or short bibliographies are occasionally included

References are rarely included

Rarely cite sources in full

Editors

Journal's editorial board, or if peer-reviewed, external scholars in the same field

Work for the publisher

Work for the publisher

Work for the publisher

Publishers

Universities, scholarly presses, or academic organizations

Commercial publishers or trade and professional organizations

Commercial publishers

Commercial publishers

Example Databases

Academic Search Premier, JSTOR, Sociological Abstracts, Historical Abstracts

ABI Inform, Business Source Premier, ERIC, SPORTDiscus

Readers Guide Abstracts, Academic OneFile, Academic Search Premier

LexisNexis Academic, Access World News, Library Press Display

 

Peer-reviewed journal articles vs. scholarly journal articles
Not all scholarly journal articles are peer-reviewed. However, all peer-reviewed articles (aka refereed articles) are scholarly.

What is peer-review?
Peer-review refers to the rigorous process that articles undergo before they may be published.  Other scholars in the author's field or discipline review and evaluate the article for quality and validity.  If lacking, the article may be rejected, but otherwise, the article is accepted, often with suggestions for revision.

Content vs. Context

When evaluating a source of information, consider both the content of the source itself and the context in which the source was created.  

CONTENT 

  •  What does it say? What is its main point or argument? Relevance to your topic? What new information, facts, or opinions does it include? 
  •  Where did you find it? Where was it published? 
  •  When was it written? Within the past few days, weeks, or years? Is it historical? Has its information changed over time? 
  •  Who created this information? What are their credentials? 
  •  Why does this source exist? Is its purpose to inform, persuade, or entertain? 
  •  How does it incorporate data or evidence? What kinds of evidence?

CONTEXT  

  •  What is the audience for this source? General readers, people who work in a specific field, academics? Does it assume previous knowledge? 
  •  Where can you find other information about this topic? 
  •  When was this information last updated? Has it been revised, redacted, or challenged? 
  •  Who is missing from the conversation? Does it include opposing viewpoints, marginalized voices, or global perspectives? 
  •  Why do you need this information? Is it for an academic assignment, work project, personal decision-making, or to share with others?* 
  •  How did the information find you?  Was it through a relevance-ranked search, social media algorithm, advertising cookie, or press release? 

 *Sources that may be appropriate for sharing with others, deepening personal understanding, or decision-making may not be appropriate for an academic assignment or work presentation. When in doubt, check with your librarian or professor for more guidance! 

Adapted from Beyond the Source created by the DePaul University Libraries.