Scholarly Journal
Purpose - report on original research or experimentation
Length - longer, in-depth analysis
Authors - expert or scholar in discipline, name and credentials provided
Language/Audience - jargon of discipline for scholarly readers
Format/Structure - serious look, structure (abstract, introduction, literature review, methodology, results, conclusion), always cite sources
Evaluation - reviewed and evaluated by subject experts and editors
Popular Magazine Articles
Purpose - to entertain, to sell products, to promote a particular viewpoint
Length - short, broad overview, litle depth
Authors - staff writer/journalist, name and credentials often not provided
Language/Audience - simple language, general readers
Format/Structure - slick, attractive appearance, not a specific format, does NOT cite sources, lots of graphics
Evaluation - not evaluated by subject experts or editors
A primary source...
· Is a thread of information that when pieced together with other primary sources form the fabric known as history.
· Is anything written or produced by those who participated in or witnessed an event firsthand.
· May take the form of “eyewitness accounts, decrees, letters and diaries, newspapers and magazines, speeches, autobiographies, and treatises.”
· May include non-traditional sources such as coins, jewelry, films, art, music, oral testimony, and others sources of information.
A secondary source...
· Offers a second-hand interpretation of an event or person, and usually takes the form of scholarly writing.
· Provides an overview that allows researchers to understand “how other historians” have interpreted an event.
· Provides the reader with a bibliographic guide to primary and secondary sources.