The term "magazine" refers to general interest periodicals. Time, Newsweek, Redbook, Field and Stream are some examples of what we mean by the word "magazine."

When your teacher says that s/he wants you to get your materials out of a "journal", s/he generally means that she want you to find articles in one of the professional or scholarly publications which are referred to as "journals."

Examples of professional journals: American Nurseryman, American Theatre, Families in Society, Mechanical Engineering, Social Work, and Young Children. The audience for these journals is the professional personnel who work in that field. The articles may start with abstracts, and contain methodology, or they may not. Some professional journals may contain a mix of articles, some of which are "original research" articles, and some of which are based on opinion or anecdotal evidence.

Examples of scholarly journals: American Journal of Psychology, American Journal of Sociology, Child Development, New England Journal of Medicine, and Social Forces. Articles in scholarly journals almost always begin with an abstract, and detail the methodology of how the research was done, draw conclusions based on data, and contain extensive lists of references. (We call these features 'scholarly apparatus.') These articles generally represent a 'study' and are not just someone's opinion.

The OhioLINK Electronic Journals Center is an excellent source of examples ofwhat journals look like. You will find thousands of scholarly journals complete with the image of the article. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer in order to view and read the articles (Arcobat is already installed on the computers in the Library.)

Depending on the assignment, your teacher probably wants you to use either the professional or scholarly publications, and not magazines which are intended for the general public. For example, if you have to find a journal article in the field of psychology, you probably should choose one out of a professional or scholarly publication, and not out of Psychology Today.

This is not cut and dried, however, and you may want to check with your teacher about which articles or publications are acceptable.

A paper copy of this PathFinder with examples of articles is available on the handout stand in the Library.