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Journals
and magazines are important sources for up-to-date
information in all disciplines. With a periodical
collection as large and diverse as Capella's it is
often difficult to distinguish between the various
levels of scholarship found in the collection. In
this guide we have divided the criteria for periodical
literature into four categories:
- Scholarly
- Substantive
News/General Interest
- Popular
- Sensational
Webster's Third
International Dictionary defines Scholarly as:
- concerned
with academic study, especially research,
- exhibiting
the methods and attitudes of a scholar, and
- having
the manner and appearance of a scholar.
Substantive is defined as having a solid base, being substantial.
Popular means fit for, or reflecting the taste and intelligence
of, the people at large.
Sensational is defined as arousing or intending to arouse strong
curiosity, interest or reaction.
Keeping
these definitions in mind, and realizing that none of the lines drawn between
types of journals can ever be totally clear-cut, the general criteria are
as follows.
Scholarly
Scholarly
journals generally have a sober, serious look. They often contain many graphs
and charts but few glossy pages or exciting pictures. Scholarly journals
always cite their sources in the form of footnotes or bibliographies. A
scholar in the field or someone who has done research in the field writes
the articles.
The language of scholarly
journals is that of the discipline covered. It assumes some scholarly background
on the part of the reader. The main purpose of a scholarly journal is to
report on original research or experimentation in order to make such information
available to the rest of the scholarly world. Many scholarly journals, though
by no means all, are published by a specific professional organization.
Examples
of Scholarly Journals:
- American
Economic Review
- Journal of Applied
Behavior Analysis
- JAMA:
The Journal of the American Medical Association
- Journal of Marriage
and the Family
- Modern
Fiction Studies
- Sex
Roles: A Journal of Research
Substantive
News or General Interest
These
periodicals may be quite attractive in appearance, although some are in
newspaper format. Articles are often heavily illustrated, generally with
photographs. News and general interest periodicals sometimes cite sources,
though more often do not. A member of the editorial staff, a scholar or
a free lance writer may write articles.
The
language of these publications is directed to any educated audience. There
is no specialty assumed only interest and a certain level of intelligence.
Commercial enterprises or individuals generally publish them, although some
emanate from specific professional organizations. The main purpose of periodicals
in this category is to provide information, in a general manner, to a broad
audience of concerned citizens.
 Examples
of Substantive News or General Interest Periodicals:
- Christian
Science Monitor
- Economist
- National
Geographic
- New
York Times
- Scientific
American
- Vital
Speeches of the Day
Popular
Popular
periodicals come in many formats, although often somewhat slick and
attractive in appearance. Lots of graphics (photographs, drawings, etc.).
These publications rarely, if ever, cite sources. Information published
in such journals is often second or third hand and the original source
is sometimes obscure. Articles are usually very short, written in simple
language and are designed to meet a minimal education level. There is
generally little depth to the content of these articles. The main purpose
of popular periodicals is to entertain the reader, to sell products
(their own or their advertisers), and/or to promote a viewpoint.
 Examples
of Popular Periodicals:
- Ebony
- Parents
- People
Weekly
- Readers
Digest
- Sports
Illustrated
- Time
- Vogue
Sensational
Sensational
periodicals come in a variety of styles. Their language is elementary and
occasionally inflammatory or sensational. They assume certain gullibility
in their audience. Their main purpose seems to be to arouse curiosity and
to cater to popular superstitions. They often do so with flashy headlines
designed to astonish (e.g. Half-man Half-woman Makes Self Pregnant).
Examples
of Sensational Periodicals:
- Globe
- National
Examiner
- Star
- Weekly
World News
EBSCOhost
and Academic Index
In
EBSCOhost
and Expanded Academic ASAP, you can check the Scholarly Publications Only box before
you perform your search. The resulting list of periodical citations will
generally be from scholarly journals. Remember, however, limiting to scholarly
publications drastically limits your search results. You may want to try
to search your topic without limits first to get an idea of what is being
published in magazines, newspapers and journals on your subjects. This also
helps in identifying new subject words to use in your search. Remember,
though, even though checking the scholarly publications box is helpful,
you should still know how to evaluate periodical resources to be a good
researcher!
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