TEDU310/EDUC384 Database Searching Tutorial
Module 1: What are journals?
When using research as a resource, you will be looking for research articles from scholarly journals, rather than popular sources. It is important to understand the difference between popular magazines and scholarly journals.
Scholarly journal articles:
- are written for and by academics;
- report the latest research on a topic;
- are usually peer reviewed or refereed (reviewed by academics before being accepted for publication);
- include a bibliography of references;
- are often published by a professional or scholarly organization.
Examples of scholarly journals include Journal of Educational Research, Journal of Learning Disabilities, International Journal of Inclusive Education.
Magazine articles:
- are about more popular subjects;
- are usually written by journalists, rather than academics or specialists;
- are usually short (i.e. 1-3 pages);
- are intended for a general audience and are often designed to entertain rather than inform;
- include lots of photographs and advertisements.
Examples of magazines include Time, North and South, Women's Weekly.
