Good research will rely on books and journal articles, because each medium brings its own strengths to the table.
|
Aspect |
Articles |
Books |
|
Focus |
Narrower – Articles tend to focus on a narrow topic or sub-topic. |
Broader – Books cover the broad spectrum; chapters divide the content. |
|
Currency |
Newer – Content can go from writing to publication within a few months to 1 year. |
Older – It takes a long time to write, sell, edit, print, and eventually publish a book: 1 to 3 years. |
|
Discovery |
Database – Articles are found in journals, which are published several times a year. A database collects articles as they are published and makes them available online. A database (or the catalog linked to a database) can pinpoint the articles you need. |
Catalog – Books are published just once (usually). The catalog is the searchable list of all the books owned by the library.\ |
Articles from journals, magazines, and other publications are normally the most useful resources for a researcher. This section will help you compare articles from popular and scholarly sources. (What's the difference? Look below!)
|
CRITERIA |
POPULAR MAGAZINES |
SCHOLARLY JOURNALS |
|
Authors |
Journalists, staff writers, popular authors (or the author may not be listed) |
Researchers and experts |
|
Audience |
The general public |
Researchers and experts |
|
Documentation |
Sources usually not cited |
Sources always cited |
|
Content |
General interest, news, or entertaining stories |
Original research findings, scholarly reports, methodology, and theory |
|
Language |
Broad, simple language that anyone can understand |
Jargon that assumes expertise in the field |
|
Publisher |
Commercial organizations |
Associations or Universities |
|
Appearance |
Glossy paper, many advertisements, heavily illustrated in color |
Plain paper, few academic-related ads (or none at all), charts / graphs, some black and white illustrations |
|
Review Policy |
Reviewed by editors |
Reviewed by peers and experts in the field (editorial boards made of distinguished scholars) |
|
Examples |
Newsweek, Economist, Psychology Today, Cooking Light |
Journal of the American Medical Association, Journal of Southern History, Journal of Modern Literature, Annual Review of Biochemistry |
