| Your research material will come from many different areas and sources. Your information may come from magazines, journals, newspapers, books, web pages, or other media such as video or art works. You may be required for a paper to only choose material that is determined to be from a scholarly source, or perhaps material that is from a primary source. This handout will help you to define some of the terms and conditions that apply to recognizing the differences between what may or may not be a scholarly source. |
| Peer reviewed or refereed material |
This is often considered to be the highest level of scholarly material available. This means that the information has gone through a stringent review process by subject specialists in a particular field. Many journal databases have a limiting option button where you can limit your search to peer reviewed material. |
| Magazines and newspapers |
This information is normally written by journalists. Their focus is meant to report what they have found. This type of information may contain personal opinions. |
| Trade journals |
This information is usually published for a specific industry. It may report on findings or current topics that are only relative to a specific area. |
| Primary sources |
| Primary sources are items such as diaries, firsthand accounts, photographs, voting records, newspaper, autobiographies, statistics, and other raw data that has not been interpreted. |
| Secondary sources |
| Secondary sources are primary sources that have been interpreted and analyzed. These are often in the form of books or journals. |
|
| Use the following guide below to help you determine if it is an appropriate resource for your paper. |
| Criteria |
Scholarly Journal |
Popular Magazine |
Trade Journal |
| Subject |
Narrow focus on a specific topic |
Covers a wide range of topics |
Covers a specific industry |
| Author |
Written by an expert or researcher in the field |
Written by journalists, staff |
Technical or professional person in that field |
| Published by: |
University or Academic Press, not for profit |
Commerical publisher for profit |
Association or a commerial publisher |
| Editor |
Peer reviewed or refereed by experts |
Reviewed by the staff editor |
Reviewed by the staff editor |
| Language style |
Terminology of the subject, those outside of the field may not undertand |
Written so that all readers can comprehend the message |
Written in the language of the trade |
| Purpose |
Share findings and reports |
News, entertainment |
Industry findings or events in the field |
| Citations/Reference |
Conducts reviews of the literature |
May quote individuals or studies but very few references |
May quote indivduals or studies but very few references |
| Illustrations |
Charts or graphs |
Flashy and easy to understand |
Charts or graphs |
| Advertising |
Little or none |
Lots of advertisements and tear outs |
Advertisements, job positions for people in the field |
| Length |
1 to many pages |
1-3 pages |
1-5 pages |
| Currency |
Findings in the subject field |
Current event topics |
Current topics in the industry |
| Likely to be found at: |
University or College Library |
Book Store, Grocery Store, Public Library, Personal Subscription |
Book Store, Public Library, Personal Subscription |
| Examples: |
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Modern Language Journal |
Newsweek, Fortune, Rolling Stone |
Advertising Age, Management Review |
