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SOCY 122: Introduction to Academic Library Research

Course guide library research tutorial sociology

Types of Articles

Articles are one of the best sources of information on any given topic. They can contain news, detailed analysis, or the results of a scientific study. Issued "periodically" in daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly or irregular intervals, articles are found in a variety of publications including journals, magazines and newspapers. These publications can be in print and/or online. The second floor of Stauffer library contains the print journals (both current and bound volumes) to which the library subscribes, however, the library subscribes to many more online journals, magazines and newspapers.

Scholarly Journals

Articles in scholarly journals are a critical source of authoritative information, as they contain the results of original academic research or experimentation. Scholarly journals are also referred to as "academic," "peer-reviewed," or "refereed" journals. Using scholarly or peer-reviewed journal articles is frequently a requirement in many course assignments, including those in SOCY 122.

Academic Journals

  • Tend to have words like journal, studies, review, annual, or quarterly in the title, for example, Justice Quarterly, Journal of Marriage and the Family, or Canadian Review of Sociology.
  • Can have a university name or an academic society in the title, for example, Berkeley Journal of Criminal Law or Journal of the Canadian Historical Association. 
  • If you are unsure whether the publication is academic or peer-reviewed:  search the web for the journal's homepage and look at the Editorial or Submissions policy and use Ulrich's Periodicals Directory to find out more about the publication.

Substantial, Research-based Articles

  • Tend to be at least 5 pages and most are much longer
  • Refer to their author’s qualifications, and / or indicate the author's university or institutional affiliation
  • Have a bibliography, reference list, or works cited page

Parts of a Scholarly Article

Academic journal articles are markedly different from magazine and newspaper articles. NCSU Libraries has created this interactive activity that will quickly and effectively introduce you to the various parts of an academic journal article: 

  • Title usually acts as a brief summary containing technical terms

  • Authors and credentials establish the authority of the contributor(s) and ultimately the article

  • Abstract is brief article summary to help readers quickly establish if an article fits their needs

  • Charts, Graphs & Equations related directly to the research may be presented within the article

  • Article Text is the body of an article, typically comprised of common parts

  • Conclusion summarizing the results or findings of the article

  • References a list of other publications cited throughout the article 

By NCSU under CC Attribution

Characteristics of Newspapers, Magazines & Journals

For clarification on the characteristics of and comparison between newspapers, magazines and journals, refer to this handout.

Peer-Reviewed Filters

In Omni (and many of the article indexes and databases to which Queen's Library subscribes) an option is available to filter, or limit, your search to scholarly or peer-reviewed journals. While these filters are a major convenience, they may not be 100% accurate.

Omni is drawing upon data from a vast quantity of collections and resources (mostly full-text databases, indexes and abstracts) and interpretation of what is academic, peer-reviewed, or a journal can vary from resource to resource. It is essential that you evaluate every source you are considering using for your research paper.