CMP-125 (Amato, Spring 2025)

Scholarly articles in scholarly journals 

• Also called peer-reviewed or refereed journals
• Articles are reviewed by a board of experts or "peer reviewers"
• Often follow a format for research papers (for science-based papers - other areas of study may have a different format):  abstract, literature review, methodology, results, conclusion, possibly footnotes, endnotes and/or bibliography
• May include tables, graphs or illustrations to support research
• Very little advertising
• Examples: The New England Journal of Medicine, The Journal of American Medicine (JAMA), Cell, Nature, Journal of Higher Education

Popular magazines

• May have a bright cover with many glossy pictures
• Designed to attract a broad segment of the population
• No specific format
• Articles sometimes unsigned
• General editors of the magazine review articles
• May include tables, graphs or illustrations
• Lots of advertising
• Examples: Time, New Yorker, National Geographic, Scientific America

(The above is from https://library.albany.edu/infolit/resource/char)

Professional or trade publications/journals

• May have a bright cover
• Provide information of use to a particular industry such as restaurants and libraries
• No specific format
• Articles sometimes unsigned
• General editors of the magazine review articles
• A lot of advertising or news about the industry
• Not scholarly or peer-reviewed
• Examples: New Jersey Business Magazine, Advertising Age, Appliance DESIGN, Dr. Dobb's Journal

Books/Ebooks

• Takes 9 months to 2 years to get a book published (9 to 18 months)
• Good for historical and literacy research
• Not good for latest topics
• In-depth information or detailed information

Primary Sources

• Primary sources are first-hand accounts, original works, or original research, produced at the time or immediately after the event it is about.  Primary sources come in many formats, including correspondence, diaries, official government documents, minutes of meetings, newspapers, and much more.
• Examples:
  • Musical score written by the composer
  • Original manuscripts of a piece of literature (such as the draft copy of a book or play)
  • Autobiographies
  • Diaries
  • Personal records (licenses, birth certificates, financial documentation, etc.)
  • Artifacts
  • Photographs

Secondary Sources

• Secondary sources are accounts that analyze the accounts of other people - meaning it analyzes the primary sources. Secondary sources are NOT first-hand accounts, but rather draw on the information found in primary sources. Secondary sources will often draw information from multiple sources and combine them to draw their conclusions.
• Examples:
  • Textbooks
  • Book reviews
  • Journal articles examining a research study that was done previously
  • Literary or artistic criticism
  • Documentaries
  • Book covering a particular subject that brings together information from different sources