What type of article should I use for my project/assignment/paper?

Article Type

Description

Magazine

Magazine articles are written for the general public. They are designed to sell copies with lots of pictures and advertisements. The authors of magazine articles are often journalists or staff writers. These writers are often generalists. The articles are brief and rarely contain citations. While there may be information about your topic in a magazine, it will not be as in-depth or as technical as you may need for an academic project. However, magazines are great for getting information on current topics as they are published frequently.

Examples of magazines include:

• Time

• Parents

• National Geographic

• Wired

Newspaper

Information in newspapers is written for the general public. Most newspapers are published daily covering the events of the recent past or upcoming events. Newspapers often focus their news and information for a specific audience in a specific area.  The authors of newspaper articles are often journalists or staff writers. The articles are brief and rarely contain citations. These articles discuss news and interest stories. While there may be information about your topic in a newspaper article, it will not be as in-depth or as technical as you may need for an academic project.

Examples of newspapers include:

• Peoria Journal Star

• New York Times

• Chicago Tribune

• Wall Street Journal

Trade publication

Trade publications are journals written for a specific industry or profession. They are designed to keep people in a trade up-to-date on industry developments. The authors are usually staff writers or journalists, often with experience in the field. The articles are brief and rarely contain citations. Trade publications include lots of graphics and advertisements.

Examples include:

• Advertising Age

• Scientific American

• Accounting Today

• Chemical Week

Academic Journal

Academic journal articles are written by scholars for scholars in an academic or professional field. These articles go through a peer-review process to decide whether they should be published. Academic journal articles are very specific or cover a narrow topic. These articles always contain citations and usually have extensive references listed (which are helpful in finding other articles on the topic). Academic journal articles are usually several pages long. Many academic articles follow the format of introduction, methods, results, and conclusion.  Academic journals usually do not contain ads. The title often includes the words "journal of" and also includes a specific topic.

Examples of academic journals include:

• Journal of Nursing Research

• Journal of Nursing Scholarship

• Journal of Interprofessional Education & Practice

Other

There are other publications including editorials, conference proceedings, technical reports, abstracts, etc. that do not fall into these general article categories. Always review the article and determine if the article should be used for your project.  If you are not sure, ask a librarian.