How do I find scholarly journals?

• What is a scholarly journal?
• How do you know if the journal you have selected is scholarly?
• What is the difference between a magazine and a scholarly article?
• How can I find scholarly journals?
• How can I tell if a journal article is peer reviewed or refereed?

A scholarly journal is a periodical containing articles often written by scholars publishing the results of their research. The APA Publication Manual states that "journal articles are usually reports of empirical studies, review articles, theoretical articles, methodological articles, and case studies."

The scholars who write the articles are usually professors or researchers. In contrast, the articles in popular publications are often written by people on the staff of the magazine or by freelancers who are paid for their submissions.

How do you know if the journal you have selected is scholarly?

• Originality: Articles tend to focus on reporting original research, analysis, interpretation, or similar activities that communicate new ideas, theories, analysis, or experimental results. Some journals tend to focus on critical reviews of the scholarly or scientific work of a field, including book reviews, reviews of research, and similar critical evaluations of current research or thought in a field.

• Intended Audience: Scholarly journals are generally written for a specific audience already familiar with the field. Typically, scholarly journals are written for scientists, physicians, historians, professors, teachers, and other professionals who have a thorough formal training in a discipline. They already know the basics of a field and are looking to learn new and original information.

• Sponsorship: Scholarly journals are often sponsored by a professional organization or society such as the American Psychological Association or the Modern Language Association. They reflect the credibility and role of that group in the advancement of knowledge and its reputation for scholarly or scientific advancement.

• Editorial and Peer Review: Editors are often important scholars or researchers in a field. It is common practice for journals to list their Editorial Boards to demonstrate credibility. Peer review or refereed is a process where a proposed article is critically evaluated for its originality, underlying research quality, its contribution of new ideas, theories, data, and information to the field of study, as well as its quality of writing. This review is done by other scholars who often are asked to evaluate an article without knowing the authors.

• Publication Frequency Scholarly journals tend to publish on a monthly or quarterly basis. With the exception of a few well know scientific and medical journals, scholarly journals are almost never published weekly.

• Pagination: Scholarly journals are often published continuously throughout a volume, which is usually one complete year or four quarterly publications of a journal. It is not uncommon to find a journal article that begins on page 400 or more.

• Article format and length: Scholarly articles tend to include a bibliography and footnotes. A bibliography is a list of the resources (books, articles, studies, etc...) that the author used to write his/her article. You can usually find the bibliography at the end of the article. The articles in scholarly journals also tend to be longer than those in popular publications. They can often be anywhere from 5 to 40 pages long.

• Illustrations: Scholarly articles tend to include very few photographs. Tables and charts that report statistical results or graph research finds are common.
  

What is the difference between a magazine and a scholarly article?

The library has many research databases that contain scholarly journal articles. Research databases that contain scholarly articles in a variety of different subjects include OhioLINK's Electronic Journal Center, JSTOR and the ISI Citation Databases. The library also has databases that are subject specific.  For example, if you wanted to find scholarly articles in the field of Psychology you may choose to search the research database PsycINFO. To find a list of databases relevant to your subject area, go to the library's Research Guides by Subject page.

How can I tell if a journal article is peer reviewed or refereed?

An excellent source to check is ulrichsweb, the online version of Ulrich's International Periodicals Directory. This source is also available in print. In the online version, you may select refereed journals by checking the box on the search screen or by looking for the little black and white referee's shirt, which indicates the chosen journal is refereed (peer reviewed). The paper copy of the directory is located in Dunbar and Fordham Reference Z6941 U5 2001. In the title listing (volume 4), journals that are peer reviewed are marked with an arrow. Ulrich's is located behind the Information Desk in Dunbar Library and next to the Reference Desk in Fordham Health Sciences Library.

A second source to check is Magazines for Libraries. This directory is located in the Dunbar Reference Consulting Office Z6941 .K2 2000. In each journal description, the word refereed appears after the publisher's information when the journal is refereed.

Finally, if your journal is not listed in Ulrich's or Magazines for Libraries, check the journal itself. Within each volume of a journal are the requirements for submission. The type of journal (refereed/peer reviewed or not) and the editorial board listings are often included on this page. Read this page carefully because it often gives you clues as to the journal's review process. In all cases, if you have questions, consult your professor. He/she is very familiar with the journals in his/her field and can assist you with your decision.

       

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