SOC 161--Death, Loss and Grief/Kovach: What is a scholarly journal?

Journal articles are usually reports of empirical studies, literature reviews, theoretical articles, methodological articles, or case studies.

Common characteristics:

• Originality—to report on research, analysis, interpretation & to communicate new ideas, theories, or experimental results
• Intended Audience—scientists, physicians, historians, professors, teachers, and other professionals 
• Sponsorship—professional organization/society
• Editorial and Peer Review—articles are critically evaluated for scholarship by peers and/or professional editors
• Publication Frequency—often monthly or quarterly
• Pagination—often continuous for an entire volume
• Article format & length—often contain abstracts, bibliographies, footnotes & articles are lengthy
• Illustrations—few, but look for charts & graphs

Ulrichsweb--results--PROFESSIONAL JOURNAL        Look for peer-reviewed journal characteristics

• Refereed symbol--Yes
• Serial type--Journal
• Content type--Academic / Scholarly
• Content type determines if a publication is scholarly
• Trade journals often look similar to scholarly publications, but do not contain actual research
• Verify every title you use for research

Ulrichsweb--results--MAGAZINE

Look for peer-reviewed journal characteristics

• Refereed symbol--usually NO (however, some trade titles are peer-reviewed)
• Serial type--Trade Publication or Magazine
• Content type--Magazine
  • Magazines often look similar, so beware
  • Verify the title if you use it in your Works Cited Page