Informative but written for someone who needs tips for their job. No footnotes, source list, discussion of research methods or findings. Scroll to the bottom of the article to see that the author, Marjory Bancroft, works for a consulting and training company. She knows what she is talking about but is not a scholar. The final, obsessive check is to look up this title in the Ulrich's International Periodicals Directory (something you may do only occasionally when really stumped, but librarians do frequently) which provides info about scope, coverage, and subscription for thousands of publications and shows this titles to be, "Document Type: Journal; Trade".
The illustrations are a big clue with this article - what contribution do the illustrations make to the message or argument the author is making? Do they contribute to or support that argument? Do they entertain on a theme? Do they make some kind of comment on the topic of the article, whether serious or humorous? This article has a mix of entertaining and informative illustrations. Secondly, you'll notice when you scroll to the bottom of page 2 as well as the end of the article that William Frey is identified as a well published researcher on this topic. Good to know. This article presents alot of assertions supported by data, but does not discuss the methodologies by which the data was collected or very much about the limitations of the data. The "Taking it Further" boxed section at the end of the article provides a few references, but very informally. Finally, Ulrich's indicates that this is "Document Type: Magazine; Trade".
Here we have William Frey again, on a similar topic to the previous article. We know he is well qualified to write on this topic and does so frequently. How is this article different from the one published in American Demographics? Footnotes, references, language used to discuss the topic and the structure of the article all place this on the academic/scholarly side of the spectrum. In addition, a check in Ulrich's confirms that Population and Development Review is both "Document Type: Journal; Magazine; Academic/Scholarly" AND "Refereed: Yes".
The authors are working in the areas of health care and research. They are knowledgeable about this topic. Notice the friendly photo of the authors at the end of the article. The information provided is useful. Another study, published in a very reputable publication, Scientific American, is referred to in the text of the article but there are no other sources, footnotes, or atributions of the data used to support the argument or assertions of the article. How do the illustrations function in relationship to the text? Who do you think the language and ideas of this article are intended to reach? The description of this publication in Ulrich's does not assign a "Document Type", nor does it say that it is Refereed. The publication description indicates that it, "Contains reports on the wide-ranging activities of the entire UN system as it deals with problems..." It is a publication for a popular audience.
At the bottom of the first page of the article the authors are identified as professors at George Mason University. They are scholars/academics. On page 2, notice the section of the article which describes, "Methods" subdivided into sections on Measures, Variables Examined, and Data Reduction. Continue to notice the section headings in the layout of the article. Next comes "Results," "Discussion," and "References." Next, what type of illustrations are included and what role do they play in relation to the text? As a final check, Ulrich's identifies this as a refereed, academic/scholarly journal.
The author is immediately identified as being affiliated with an academic institution, the University of Ottawa. The first sections of the article review a variety of research and publications on various issues pertinent to the article. Purposes of "the present study" are described, followed by sections on "Method," "Procedure," "Results," "Discussion," and "References." Notice the language used in the text, the use of formulas and the type of illustrations. Who is going to make the best use of this type of presentation? Someone who understands statistical methods, that's who! You can still make use of it whether or not you understand the details. Focus on the results and implications presented in this article. And let's end the suspense - Ulrich's confirms that this is a refereed, academic journal, proving that the word Journal does NOT have to be in the title of a scholarly publication.
Harvard always sounds impressive, especially in the title of a publication. Let's look at the author's qualifications. At the bottom of the first page you'll notice that Zada Lipman is identified as an administrator at an environmental law center at an Australian university as well as a barrister. Impressive credentials. How about that scholarly apparatus? There are no footnotes and no bibliography included with this article. The photographs are helpful illustrations, neither outrageous commentary nor entirely staid. The layout of the article uses plenty of white space and there are eye-catching captions for key ideas of the article scattered throughout. This is an informative piece but it is not scholarly. Ulrich's agrees and indicates that this publication, the Harvard International Review, is Document Type: Journal; Consumer.
Here's that William Frey again. No, I am not his agent or publicist. But this item is interesting because we know he is well published, a researcher, a PhD. And this item has many of the apparatus we associate with academic/refereed articles - a literature review, a discussion of methods, review of the quality and limitations of the data, references, and so forth. But, this is not a journal article! So, what do you think? Will your professor be satisfied with this as an academic or scholarly source if you cite it in your paper/project?
updated June 20, 2005
