- Formats and Types of Information
- General-Specific
- Scholarly-Popular
- Primary-Secondary
- Free-Fee
Scholarly-Popular Information Types
There are different types of periodicals, such as journals, magazines and trade publications.
The scholarship of an article is important. The highest level of scholarship is a journal article from a refereed serial. An authority (a scholar) in the discipline has written the article, and the article's content has been reviewed (often called peer reviewed or refereed) by other discipline scholars.
A journal article from a "scholarly" or "academic" publication may be acceptable for use in undergraduate research papers. The difference between a "refereed serial" and a "scholarly publication" is that an article in a scholarly publication might not be refereed. Although all refereed serials are scholarly publications, not all scholarly publications are refereed serials.
Please consult with the course instructor as to his/her policy concerning the inclusion of scholarly (not refereed) publications.
Differences between refereed/scholarly and popular periodicals:
| Criteria | Refereed / Scholarly | Popular, News, and General Interest |
|---|---|---|
| Identification of Document Type | the journal is identified as a "refereed serial" by an appropriate publication, such as Ulrich's International Periodicals Directory | the journal is identified as "trade," "newsletter" or "consumer" by Ulrich's |
| Authorship | the author is a scholar/expert in the topic of the article | articles may be written by a member of the editorial staff, a scholar or a freelance writer |
| Documentation | authors always cite their sources in the form of footnotes or bibliographies | authors sometimes cite sources, though not always |
| Language of the Article | the language of scholarly journals is that of the discipline covered. It assumes some knowledge of the discipline's background on the part of the reader. | the language of the publication is geared to any educated audience. There is no discipline knowledge assumed. |
| Purpose of the Article | the main purpose of a scholarly journal is to report on original research or experimentation in order to make the information available to the rest of the discipline | the main purpose is to provide information, in a general manner, to a broad audience. Periodicals are usually attractive in appearance, and articles are often illustrated with photographs. |
| Publisher | most scholarly journals, though not all, are published by specific professional associations | they are generally published by commercial enterprises or individuals |
| Length | longer articles, providing in-depth analysis of topics | shorter articles, providing broader overviews of topics |
| Format/Structure | articles usually structured, and may include sections titled abstract, literature review, methodology, results, conclusion, bibliography | articles do not necessarily follow a specific format or structure |
| Special Features | illustrations that support the text, such as tables of statistics, graphs, maps or photographs | illustrations with glossy or color photographs, usually for advertising purposes |
| Examples | New England Journal of Medicine; Nature | Economist; Time; Psychology Today |