Newspapers & Magazines
| Pros |
Cons |
- Often published daily or weekly, providing the most up-to-date information available through a traditional publishing pathway.
- Written for a general audience.
- Often include illustrations or photos to supplement written content.
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- Articles are written by staff writers or journalists who may focus on a specific area but they are not subject experts.
- Articles are typically short and less substantial than what you can find in a book or scholarly journal.
- Unlikely to have a reference list or works cited although they may refer to sources used in their article.
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Trade/Industry Publications
| Pros |
Cons |
- Written for a specific audience with prior knowledge of a topic.
- Written by scholars or those currently working within a field.
- Scholarly Journals undergo the specific peer-review process.
- Scholarly journals often include original research on a topic.
- Scholarly journals will always include a forma works cited or reference list.
- Frequent publication allows for more current information to be shared.
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- Can be dense and hard to understand for a general reader.
- Often behind a paywall or only accessible via the library.
- Scholarly journals typically include few illustrations beyond graphs and charts.
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Scholarly Journals
| Pros |
Cons |
- Written for a specific audience with prior knowledge of a topic.
- Written by scholars or those currently working within a field.
- Scholarly Journals undergo the specific peer-review process.
- Scholarly journals often include original research on a topic.
- Scholarly journals will always include a forma works cited or reference list.
- Frequent publication allows for more current information to be shared.
|
- Articles are written by staff writers or journalists who may focus on a specific area but they are not subject experts.
- Articles are typically short and less substantial than what you can find in a book or scholarly journal.
- Unlikely to have a reference list or works cited although they may refer to sources used in their article.
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