From Inquiry to Academic Writing A Practical Guide, 3rd edition

IdEnTIFyIng SouRCES 135

important contribution to the academic conversation, the article will not

be published.

When you begin your research, you may find that popular sources

provide helpful information about a topic or an issue — the results of a

na tional poll, for example. Later, however, you will want to use scholarly

sources to advance your argument. You can see from Table 6.2 that popu­

lar magazines and scholarly journals can be distinguished by a number of

characteristics. Does the source contain advertisements? If so, what kinds

of advertisements? For commercial products? Or for academic events and

resources? How do the advertisements appear? If you find ads and glossy

pictures and illustrations, you are probably looking at a popular magazine.

This is in contrast to the tables, charts, and diagrams you are likely to find

in an education, psychology, or microbiology journal. Given your experi­

ence with rhetorical analyses, you should also be able to determine the

makeup of your audience — specialists or nonspecialists — and the level of

language you need to use in your writing.

TABLE 6.2 Popular Magazines Versus Scholarly Journals

crITerIa popuLar magazIneS SchoLarLy JournaLS

Advertisements Numerous full­page color

ads

Few if any ads

Appearance Eye­catching; glossy; pic­

tures and illustrations

Plain; black­and­white

graphics, tables, charts,

and diagrams

Audience General Professors, researchers,

and college students

Author Journalists Professionals in an aca­

demic field or discipline

Bibliography Rarely give full citations Extensive bibliography

at the end of each article;

footnotes and other

documentation

Content General articles to inform,

update, or introduce a

contemporary issue

Research projects, meth­

odology, and theory

Examples Newsweek, National

Review, PC World,

Psychology Today

International Journal

of Applied Engineering

Research, New England

Journal of Medicine

Language Nontechnical, simple

vocabulary

Specialized vocabulary

Publisher Commercial publisher Professional organization,

university, research insti­

tute, or scholarly press

SOURCE: Adapted from materials at the Hesburgh Library, University of Notre Dame.

06_GRE_60141_Ch6_129_150.indd 135 11/11/14 2:46 PM

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