LibGuides: Getting Started Guide: Music Research: Journal Articles

Scholarly vs. Popular Periodicals

Remember to consider the type of material you find - is it a scholarly or popular article?

Use this handy chart to determine what you have - you might bookmark this for future reference!

	Scholarly Publication: Journals, print and online	Popular Publication: Magazines and newspapers, print and online
Examples
Author	Is a noted professional or expert	Is a journalist, student, popular author; or may not be listed
Advertising	Very little or highly specialized	Significant amount
Audience	Advanced reading level; may have specialized vocabulary	Basic reading level for a general audience
Bibliography, Sources or List of Works Cited	A list of references is included at the end of each article	Articles rarely include references, bibliographies or lists of works cited
Indexing	Articles are listed in specialized databases and indexes; for example PsycINFO, EBSCOHost or JSTOR	Articles are listed in general databases and indexes; for example Reader's Guide or Periodicals Index
Level of Language	higher level language, topics are more narrowly focused, serious tone, words used are specific to a discipline, written by experts	broad and simple language, general topics, written to be understood by almost anyone
Purpose	Discusses a specific scholarly field	Current events, general interest items
Review Policy	Articles are reviewed by peers; experts in the field. Editorial board is composed of scholars in the field	Editor or editorial board are members of the magazine's staff
More Examples	Harvard Business Review, Lancet, Modern Fiction Studies, Nature	People, Cooking Light, US News and World Report, Publisher's Weekly, Sports Illustrated, National Inquirer

Source: http://library.weber.edu/ref/guides/howto/scholarlyarticles.cfm

Online Databases

ProQuest This link opens in a new window
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ProQuest Tutorial
Searches a variety of databases covering a wide range of topics. It provides access to full-text/image of many journals, as well as other data.
Education Database This link opens in a new window
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If you're not finding enough results, you can also try searching all of Proquest, not just the education journals.

While scholarly (a.k.a. peer reviewed or academic journals) research based journals are normally preferred, you may find articles written by teachers in the Magazine or Trade journals categories to be helpful anecdotes.
ProQuest® Education Journals gives users access to over 900 top educational publications, including more than 600 of the titles in full text. The coverage spans the literature on primary, secondary and higher education as well as special education, home schooling and adult education. Many titles are indexed in the ERIC database.
ERIC via WorldCat Discovery This link opens in a new window
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Journal articles and reports in education
Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
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Subsciber: VIVAA comprehensive scholarly, multi-disciplinary full-text database; indexing & abstracting; content going back as far as 1887
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
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JSTOR Tutorial
Subscriber: CNUAn online database of full-content articles from various journals in many subject areas including, but not limited to African American studies, Ecology, Economics, History, Literature and Mathematics. Many journals start with the first volume and issue; there is usually a delay of several years for accessing current issues.
Access World News This link opens in a new window
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Search newspapers from around the world (all in English)
Subscriber: CNUFind global information on topics related to business and economics, careers, criminal justice, education, environmental studies, health, international studies, performing and fine arts, political science, social issues, sports, STEM and more from a variety of news media featuring newspapers, videos and web-only content including the Daily Press, Virginian-Pilot, USA Today and international sources.
New York Times (1851-2020) This link opens in a new window
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Check Journal Finder for other available dates.
This historical newspaper provides genealogists, researchers and scholars with online, easily-searchable first-hand accounts and unparalleled coverage of the politics, society and events of the time.
Sage Journals Online This link opens in a new window
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Subscriber: CNUAccess the full-text of selected Sage journals. Search and browse additional journals. Additional articles/issues are sometimes accessible for free.