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JUS 1100 Introduction to Justice Studies

Scholarly vs Peer Review vs Trade

There are many types of articles and depending on the field, assignment and professor, you may be asked to find peer-reviewed or scholarly articles.

Peer ReviewedPeer-reviewed articles are predominantly found in the science and medical disciplines.  The articles are reviewed by multiple experts (peers) in a highly structured and critical process. The author then receives that feedback, makes changes and resubmits the work, and then the journal editor decides whether to publish it. 

Scholarly:  These articles are research focused and written for an academic audience; they most likely have only been reviewed by an editorial board, rather than content experts. 

Trade journals are periodicals that publish articles relevant to a particular field or industry. They are usually written by professionals actively working in the field, or by journalists who have knowledge of the field

Is my source reliable?

There is no quality assurance when it comes to information found on the Internet: Anyone can post an article and some websites have sponsors who pay for specific content to promote their products or ideas. The information is not impartial but biased.    It is important to review the information that you find on the Internet to make sure that it is reliable.

If you decide to use an article found on the Internet, run it be the "CRAAP Test" first by asking yourself:

Currency: The timeliness of the information.

  • When was the information published or posted?
  • Has the information been revised or updated?
  • Is the information current or out-of date for your topic?
  • If you found the information on the web, are the links functional?

Relevance: The importance of the information for your needs.

  • Does the information relate to your topic or answer your question?
  • Who is the intended audience?
  • Is the information at an appropriate level (i.e., not too elementary or advanced for your needs)?
  • Have you looked at a variety of sources before determining this is one you will use?
  • Would you be comfortable using this source for a research paper?

Authority: The source of the information.

  • Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor?
  • Are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations given?
  • What are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations?
  • What are the author's qualifications to write on the topic?
  • Is there contact information, such as a publisher or e-mail address?
  • If you found the information on the web, does the URL reveal anything about the author or source? examples: .com .edu .gov .org .net. (Note: anyone can reserve a .org domain.)

Accuracy: The reliability, truthfulness, and correctness of the informational content.

  • Where does the information come from?
  • Is the information supported by evidence?
  • Has the information been reviewed or refereed?
  • Can you verify any of the information in another source or from personal knowledge?
  • Does the language or tone seem unbiased and free of emotion?
  • Are there spelling, grammar, or other typographical errors?

Purpose: The reason the information exists.

Compare Source Types: Different Info for Different Purposes

News or Popular

   

Scholarly

 

   

Click on each image to enlarge

 

 
       
How can you tell the difference between types of periodicals? Justice Quarterly

 

Popular magazines

Trade, industry and professional journals

Journals of commentary and opinion

Scholarly & research journals

AUTHOR

Usually a staff writer or journalist. Sometimes the author's name is not provided.

Writers with subject knowledge or practitioners and professionals.

Great variety: specialists, journalists, organizational members, others.

Primarily experts, often university researchers, whose credentials are usually included.

AUDIENCE

Written for the "average" person who doesn't have in-depth knowledge of a topic. (popular)

Multiple levels of readers: general public to practitioners and professionals. (mostly popular)

General audience, high school and up. (popular)

Aimed at professionals, researchers, scholars, or others with more in-depth knowledge of the topic. (scholarly)

CONTENT

Entertainment, opinion, current topics, quick facts.

Trends, forecasts, news and events in the field; products, book reviews, employment, biography.

Commentary on social and political issues, specific viewpoints, book reviews.

Research, analysis, scholarship. Often includes abstract, research methods, conclusion, bibliography.

LENGTH

Shorter articles providing broad overviews of topics. (popular)

Short newsy items to longer, in-depth articles.

Varies:  short, pithy, articles to more in-depth discussion.  An issue may be devoted to a particular topic.

Longer articles providing in-depth analysis of topics. (scholarly)

APPEARANCE

Glossy, color pictures, advertisements.

Ads related to the field or profession.  Charts, tables, illustrations.

Varies considerably.  Some have graphics and advertisements.

Dense text, usually with graphs and charts, fewer specialized, advertisements.

CREDIBILITY

Articles are generally evaluated by staff editors rather than experts in the field.

Articles reviewed by editors from professional associations or commercial/trade organizations.

Publications support a particular viewpoint or specific interest group.  Opinionated.

Articles reviewed by a "jury" of experts--"peer-reviewed" or "refereed"—before publication.

EXAMPLES

People, Essence, Hispanic, Good Housekeeping, Out, Time, Vogue, Sports Illustrated

Corrections Today, FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, Deputy and Court Officer, Federal Probation

Mother Jones, National Review, America, Harper’s, New Republic, Commentary, Progressive, Atlantic

Justice Quarterly, Criminal Justice Quarterly, Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology

Adapted from ACC Library Services Libguides.