Maysville CTC English 101 Research Tutorial: 3. Evaluate

What's the difference between a "scholarly journal" article and a "popular magazine" article? 

Magazines and journals articles will give current information because they are published more quickly than books and contain more up-to-date information.

Scholarly journal (or peer-reviewed) articles are written by scholars or professionals, experts in their fields.

Popular articles present the current culture and likes of the general public, usually meant as general interest or entertainment.

Newspapers articles are also excellent sources for current information on reports or events. Most are published daily or weekly.

When looking at an article, how can you tell if it is scholarly or a popular magazine article?  

These are some of the parts to look for:

• Journal Title (Does it have "journal" in the title?)
• Article Title (Is it explanatory about the subject?)
• Volume and Issue Numbers (Is there a volume number, or issue number?)
• Date of Publication (Can you find the date of publication?)

Other parts to look for are References, Abstract, Citations, short biography of the Author(s).

Look at the examples below on how identify these parts.

Magazine articles may be informative but the information is not necessarily based on in-depth research.  There are still some of the same parts, such as Title of the Magazine, Title of the Article, Author (maybe), Date of Publication, and Page Numbers.

Look at the examples below and see if you can identify the difference between the scholarly journal articles and the popular magazine articles. 

"One Pot Meals ..." Food Management Feb. 2010: 56. Academic OneFile. Web. 22 July 2015.

A major challenge with searching for information on the Internet is determining what is useful and what is not.

Not all web sites are truthful or reliable.

• Anyone can put together a legitimate looking site.
• Web pages are not regulated or monitored.
• Don't be so ready to "cut and paste" what you find into your research paper.

Keep in mind the following criteria (CRAAP Test) when faced with the challenge to accept or reject information:

• Currency: When was the article or content written? Is it current, timely? Is it out of date? Could the information be written in a historic context? 
• Relevance: Is the information appropriate for the topic? Who is the intended audience? 
• Authority: Who wrote the article? Professionals in the field? General public? What are the author's credentials? 
• Accuracy: Could the magazine article information be verified through other sources?
• Purpose: Is someone trying to persuade the audience to see a point of view or opinion? Is the information provided to promote or sell a product?  Is the information fact or opinion?