HOW TO RECOGNIZE A SCHOLARLY JOURNAL OR PUBLICATION

 

Title:

Does the word "Journal" or "Research" appear in the title? This is a good indication that it is a scholarly journal.  Note, however,  that not all journals have these words in the title; some periodicals with "Journal" in the title, e.g. Ladies Home Journal, are not scholarly.

 
Frequency:     

 How often is the item published?  Scholarly journals are most often quarterly, bimonthly, or monthly; very few are weekly.

  

Publisher:  Is the item published by or in conjunction with a professional organization or association?  Is the publisher a well-known corporation or a publishing company with specialists in that subject area?  This usually indicates a scholarly publication.

 
Authors: Look at the authors or contributors of articles.  Are they news reporters or professionals in the subject area (doctors, scientists, educators, etc.)?  Often the contributors are listed on page 1 or 2 of the issue; sometimes their degrees or jobs are indicated.  Also, look at the individual articles.  Journals will often give a brief biographical sketch of the author at the beginning of an article.  This will tell you whether or not he/she is a professional.

 
Article format: Are the articles brief news items, or are they substantial articles using technical or professional language?  Does the publication contain research studies, with charts/graphs; do the articles have bibliographies and/or notes?  These would indicate a scholarly journal.

 

 

NOTE:  These are only guidelines.  Not all of the above will be present every time.  However,

               taken as a whole, they should give you a pretty good idea about whether or not the

               publication is scholarly.  If you are using any of the EBSCO databases, click on

               a box for "scholarly journals" to eliminate those things that are not scholarly.  If you're

               still not sure, ask your instructor or the librarian.