EDUC 106: Issues in Education

Evaluating Periodical Articles | Searching the Catalog | Databases for Education | Using Print Journals
Evaluating Internet Sites | Citing Sources

Evaluating Periodical Articles: Magazines, Scholarly Journals and Trade Publications

The articles that you find in the online databases come from three different types of periodicals:

1. Magazines are periodicals which are published for a broad, general audience. Some examples are National Geographic, Cosmopolitan, and Sports Illustrated.

2. Scholarly Journals are written by and for professors and researchers in a specific field. They present and review original research. Some examples are: Elementary School Journal, Reading Research Quarterly and Journal of Research in Childhood Education.

3. Trade or Professional periodicals are published for a specific audience, like teachers. They do not publish original research, but may review new research relevant to the audience. Some examples are: Science Teacher, Young Children and Instructor.

When searching for periodical articles in an online database like the Professional Development Collection, results will come from all three types of publications. Sometimes you will be required to find and use only scholarly, peer-reviewed journal articles. Other times it may be appropriate to use some articles from trade publications related to your topic. Before using an article you will need to determine what type of publication each article came from and whether or not that is appropriate for your assignment. Use the chart below to help you decide.

		Scholarly Journals	Trade Publications	Popular Magazines
Appearance		Plain, formal, sober, serious	Industry setting, glossy, color	Flashy, attractive, glossy, colorful
	Paper & Cover	Plain	Glossy, industrial setting	Glossy, eye-catching
	Illustrations	Black and white	Color	Color
	Advertisements	Few or none	Moderate, trade related	Heavy
Content		Research projects, methodology, and theory	Industry trends, organizational news	Personalities, news, opinions, and general interest articles
	Journal Title	Often includes terms such as: "journal", or "bulletin"	Often includes industry name: "advertising",	Rarely includes terms such as: "journal", "review" or "bulletin"
	Purpose, intent	Report and share research	Provide industry info	Inform, persuade or entertain
	Scope	Narrow focus, in depth analysis, one academic field	Practical information within one industry or profession	Broad overview of topics
	Audience	Academic or professional: professors, students	Members of a specific industry or organization	General public, non-professionals
	Structure	Structured sections: i.e. abstract	No specific format or structure	No specific format or structure
	Bibliography	Yes -- Always cite sources	Maybe – informal citations	No -- Rarely cite sources
	Abstract	Yes	Maybe	No
	Author	Authority, or specialist (PhD) Compensated with prestige	Staff or industry specialist Paid	Staff or freelance writer Paid
	Credentials	Always given	Often provided	Rarely provided
	Review process	Peer-reviewed or refereed	Editorial review	Editorial NOT peer-reviewed
	Language	Jargon of the discipline	Jargon of the industry	General audience reading level
	Writing style	Scholarly or technical	Technical	Informal, conversational
Publishing		Prof. or academic press	Professional or trade assn.	Commercial press
	Frequency	Monthly, quarterly, seasonal	Weekly, monthly	Daily, weekly, monthly
	Availability	University library, lab or office	Library or industry office	Newsstand or home subscription
Examples		Journal of the American Medical Assn. Psychological Bulletin Families in Society	Aviation Week and Space Technology Library Journal Advertising Age	Vanity Fair Scientific American National Geographic Parents

 

Searching the Catalog

1. From the home page, under the Find/Search menu, choose "Find Books (Catalog) in Milne Library"
2. In the menu at the top, choose Advanced Search.
3. Type your topic in the search box.
4. Choose "Yes" if your keywords are adjacent.
5. Under Limit by Collection: choose EMC, Dewey Room, 2nd floor or Children's Collection, Dewey Room, 2nd floor.
6. Click Go at the bottom of the page.

 

Databases for Education

All Datbases for Education are linked under the Dewey Room website. Click this link to proceed to the Dewey Room site.

For help using ERIC and Subject Terms, see this page.

 

Using Print Journals

Step 1. Locate the citation of the article you wish to find:

The Science of Multiple Intelligences Theory: A Response to Lynn Waterhouse. By: Gardner, Howard; Moran, Seana. Educational Psychologist, Fall2006, Vol. 41 Issue 4, p227-232, 6p; DOI: 10.1207/s15326985ep4104_2; (AN 22914506)

Step 2. Search the catalog for the journal title (Educational Psychologist):

1. Start at the library's home page
2. Type the title of the journal or publication, in quotes, in the "Find Print Journals in Milne" box and click Go.
3. Click on the name of the journal with the term <Serial> after it.
4. To the right of Holdings: click All Items.
5. Find the Volume you need and note the location. Write down this information!
6. If you wish to find the item electronically, click the image to search the electronic journal holdings.

Step 3. Request the journal at the Circulation Desk by filling out our online form, printing it, and turning it in to the Circulation Desk.

Step 4. Find the article in the journal.

1. Watch for multiple issues/numbers bound together.
2. Turn to the correct page according to the citation (in this case).

 

Evaluating Internet Sites

Anyone can publish anything on the internet so it is very important to evaluate any websites you are considering using for a class assignment. Listed below are six areas and questions to consider when selecting a website.

1. Identify the site's domain - .edu, .com, .net, .gov, .org, etc.

• .edu are part of a college or university's website
• .gov are sites sponsored by the federal government
• .com, .net and .biz are mostly commercial sites
• .org an organization, or advocacy group, usually non-profit.

2. Who is the author of the site? This can be a person or a group.

• What are the credentials of the author or owner?
• Are they qualified to be an authority on the subject?
• Look for the author's or owner's name and information at the top or bottom of the page or in a section titled, "About us."

3. Is the material accurate?

• How accurate is the information? Does it match up with what you found in print sources?
• Are sources of facts or statistics sited?
• Does the site provide a bibliography or links to other sites?
• Does the information appear to be unbiased and fair? If it is one-sided will it still work for your research?
• Does the page contain advertising? Can you distinguish between the advertising and the rest of the site contents?  

4. Is the site current?

• Compared to your print sources, does the information appear up to date?
• When was the page last updated? Look for a date at the bottom of the homepage.
• Are the links current? Do most of them still work?

5. Is the site easy to use?

• How well is it organized? Is there a site map or index?
• Is it easy to navigate? Can you get to the homepage? Look for navigation bars usually on the top, bottom or sides of each page.
• Is the site searchable? Does it have its own search engine?

6.  Does the site have information that will be useful for your assignment?

• Perhaps most importantly, does the web site/page offer information appropriate for your topic?
• Is the information relevant to your topic? 
• Is it in-depth enough for your topic? 
• What kind of information is it providing you on your topic - historical? background? statistical? factual? conceptual? examples? a study? 
• Is it unique information or duplication of information you've found elsewhere? 
• Is it substantial, e.g. longer than a couple paragraphs with significant information? 
• In other words, does this page or web site provide information you can, should, and will actually incorporate into your assignment?

Online Resources for Evaluating Internet Sites
If you need more information on evaluating websites below are three online tutorials which are particularly useful.

Evaluating Internet Sources and Sites: A Tutorial - Purdue University Libraries http://www.lib.purdue.edu/ugrl/staff/sharkey/interneteval/index.html
A brief web based tutorials focusing on the five areas of evaluation

Evaluating Internet Sites 101 : an Interactive Tutorial - University at Albany, University Libraries http://library.albany.edu/usered/webeval/
A web based interactive tutorial that covers all aspects of evaluation in-depth

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly or Why It's A Good Idea to Evaluate Web Resources - Susan Beck, New Mexico State University Library http://lib.nmsu.edu/instruction/eval.html
An excellent guide to evaluating websites with lots of examples of good and bad websites for each area of evaluation.

 

Citing Sources

MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers

Milne Library Reference (REF PE 1478 M57 1999). The style guide is more comprehensive than the web site.

 

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association

Milne Library Reference (REF BF 76.7 P83 2001). The 1994 edition of the Manual (REF BF 76.7 P83 1994) is also available. The style guide is more comprehensive than the web site.

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Subject Librarian

If you need help, please contact:

Logan Rath

Emerging Technologies/Reference/Instruction Librarian
Degrees: MLS, BA in Spanish - Adolescent Education 7-12
Reference Office, 109 Milne Library; (607) 436-2453
rathlt@oneonta.edu     AIM: LoganRath

Don't forget to schedule a research consultation (a personal appointment with a librarian for research help) if you desire. This service is free and can really help if you're getting stuck!

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