Popular Magazines 
and 
Scholarly Journals

PCC Library Assignment Bank
Periodical Articles

This assignment will focus on two types of periodicals: Popular Magazines and Scholarly Journals.  There are several different types of periodicals.   Before you begin this assignment, take a look at the University of Texas' web site "Types of Periodicals" http://www.lib.utsa.edu/Research/Subject/periodicalsguide.html for a quick overview of the various types.

Some examples of Popular Magazines
found in the PCC Libraries are:

  • US News and World Report
  • Travel Holiday
  • Time
  • Florida Hiker
  • Ebony
  • Discover
  • Car & Driver
 Some examples of Scholarly Journals
found in the PCC Libraries are:
  • American Journal of Nursing
  • Community College Journal
  • Florida Historical Quarterly
  • Journal of Counseling and Development
  • Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology
  • Journal of Reading
  • Society

Select three titles from the popular magazines list and three titles from the scholarly journals list above. Retrieve a copy of each magazine and journal you selected from the library shelves. Yes, you will need to go to the library to do this assignment. 

Popular Magazines

1.

2.

3.

 Scholarly Journals

1.

2.

3.

Examine the magazines and journals that you chose from the lists above and fill in the chart below using additional paper if necessary.  Feel free to ask the Librarian for assistance.

  Popular Magazine Scholarly Journal
1. Article Length
Compare the length of articles.  What is the average length for each group?		    
2. Authors
Compare the authors of some articles.  Are they experts in a particular field?   Do they include their credentials or  degrees? 		    
3. Audience
For whom are these articles written?  Are the articles written for anyone to read or for a specific audience? 		   
4. Language
Does the author use technical language or jargon?		    
5. Illustrations
What kinds of illustrations are used?  Graphs, photos, cartoons...?  Are these illustrations used to inform, entertain, advertise...?		    
6. Bibliography
Do the articles include a bibliography, works cited or footnotes?		    
7. Structure
Do you see any consistent structure to the articles?  Is there a pattern or model?		    
8. Review Process
Does the journal tell authors how to submit articles or what kinds of articles are excepted?  Is there a "review process"? 		   
9. Publication
How often is this periodical published? Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly?		    

Now it's time to really think... 

Print out an article from one of the library databases or from an electronic journal online - a librarian can assist you with this if you would like. 

The print-out includes citation information (author, title of the article, title of the periodical, publication information, pages...) and all the text of the original article; it may or may not include images or illustrations.  Which categories from the table above can you use to decide if you have an article from a popular magazine or a scholarly journal?

PCC Library LAB
Polk Community College
Winter Haven Florida 33880