Evaluating information: Journals and journal articles

Contents

1. Evaluating information: Journals and journal articles
2. What are journals?
3. Why should you read journals?
4. Accessing journals in the Library
5. Types of journal
6. Academic journals, also known as peer-reviewed or refereed journals
   1. Activity 1: Academic journals
   2. Activity 2: Peer-reviewed journals
7. Finding and accessing peer-reviewed journal articles
8. Trade publications (Trade press)
9. Professional journals
10. Popular magazines
11. Evaluating journal articles
    1. Purpose and content
    2. Authority
    3. Currency
    4. Objectivity/Bias
12. Summary

Evaluating information: Journals and journal articles

This tutorial will cover:

• What journals are and why should you read them
• Identifying the different types of journal

When you are looking for journals for your assignments or research projects it is important that you evaluate them to ensure that they meet a high academic standard.

In addition we will therefore look at how to evaluate journal articles by considering their:

• Purpose and authority
• Scope/intended audience
• Content
• Objectivity or bias

This should take you approximately 15 minutes to complete. Please be advised when working through the materials that clicking on links will open the webpages in a new window.

Last updated April 2013