Renton Technical College Librarians and Library Staff will be happy to help you with your searches, by email, telephone, by chat, or in person (Monday - Thursday, 8am-7pm), and virtually on Fridays from 8am - 5pm.
- Scholarly Journals:
A scholarly journal (academic journals, scientific journals, or peer reviewed journals) contains articles written by experts in a particular field of study (whose credentials are usually stated in the article). The articles are usually more sophisticated and advanced than the articles found in general magazines. The articles generally present original research or events related to a specific area of study. The articles are mostly text, sometimes with black and white figures, graphs, tables, or charts. Sources are cited in a bibliography. The articles usually begin with an Abstract, followed by an Introduction, a Literature Review, a discussion of Methodology/Materials and Methods, a description of the Results, a Discussion/Analysis, and then a Conclusion. There are few advertisements in a scholarly journal.
[Link to "How to Read a Scholarly Article"]
[Link to "The Big List of Scholarly Databases"]
- Popular magazines and Newspapers:
Popular magazines and newspapers inform you, usually with only a little in-depth analysis. The content includes entertainment and popular culture articles. Popular periodicals come in many formats, but are often slick and attractive in appearance with lots of color graphics (photographs, drawings, etc.). These publications do not cite sources in a bibliography. Information published in popular periodicals is often second or third hand and the original source is rarely mentioned or cited. Articles are usually very short and written in simple language. The main purpose of popular periodicals is to entertain the reader, to sell products (their own or their advertisers), or to promote a viewpoint. The articles are usually written by staff writers or free-lancers, their names or credentials are often not stated.
[Databases that contain articles from popular magazines and newspapers include: Gale General OneFile, ProQuest, SIRS Discoverer, US Newsstream, and try the King County Library System databases to access America’s News, the New York Times, the Seattle Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post.]
- Professional and Trade publications
Professional publications:
A professional magazine or journal is one produced by a professional organization for its members. Professional magazines present news and analysis, editorial comment, and book reviews of interest to the association's members. In some fields, they present professional development articles for the improvement of skills. The level of writing can sometimes be quite high, approaching the scholarly. This sort of professional journal can be very useful to both practitioners of a profession and to college students who are engaged in professional preparation.
[A good way to find specific professional publications is to do a search (Google, DuckDuckGo, etc.) for 'occupation name' and 'professional publication'. Databases that are good for finding Professional Publications include Gale General OneFile, the King County Library System databases provides access to ABI Inform Trade & Industry, as also does ProQuest.]
Trade publications:
A trade journal or trade magazine presents news, trends, and best practices, as well as market ideas, products, or services to a specific industry or type of trade/business. Trade and industry journals contain advertising focused on the industry it is published for, with little general-audience advertising. They often contain industry-specific job notices. Many trade publications can be considered news magazines with a very specific topical focus. In some instances, the boundary between trade publications and peer-reviewed journals has blurred (some trade publications contain peer-reviewed technical reports and technology reviews, and contain heavy advertising content, a significant proportion of the articles are authored by or in collaboration with vendors who advertise in the same issue). The articles are usually written by a professional in the field, or sometimes a journalist with subject area expertise.
[A good way to find specific trade publications is to do a search (Google, DuckDuckGo, etc.) for 'occupation name' and 'trade publication'.]
Renton Technical College Librarians and Library Staff will be happy to help you with your searches, by email, telephone, by chat, or in person (Monday - Thursday, 8am-7pm), and virtually on Fridays from 8am - 5pm.
