Sociology: Articles

Magazines and journals are called periodicals because they are issued on a regular or "periodic" basis – they might arrive daily, weekly, monthly, four times a year (quarterly), once a year (annually) or anything in between. Periodicals are usually separated into two major groups: popular and scholarly.

Use popular magazines when you need:

• information or opinions about popular culture
• up-to-date information about current events
• general articles by people who are not necessarily specialists about the topic

Use a Newspaper to:

• find current information about international, national and local events
• find editorials, commentaries, expert or popular opinions

Use scholarly journals (also called academic or scientific journals) when you need:

• original, primary research on a specific topic
• articles and essays written by scholars or subject experts
• factual, documented information to reinforce a position
• bibliographies that point you to other relevant research  

Scholarly journals are where the experts talk to each other.  This is where the newest research and ideas are first published. Sometimes researchers develop their journal articles into books. 

Scholarly articles can be challenging to understand. Keep a dictionary handy and read encyclopedia articles for background in the field. 

Instructors frequently require scholarly, peer-reviewed articles.  Peer review is when another expert in the field reads the article before it is published in order to confirm that the methods used in the article conform to the requirements of the field.