Skip to Main Content
UWSP Libraries
Ask A Librarian:
Chat:
Email:
librefd@uwsp.edu
Text:
715-602-3542

Psychology Journals and research

Guide for Dr. Neumann's Psychology classes. Popular press vs Peer reviewed journals and Types of research

Popular Literature/magazines

Popular literature is written by journalists, who are employed by the magazine for which they write. Journalists cover news and current events in a field, write profiles of people, places, or events, and express political opinions. Some examples of popular literature are:
  • The New York Times
  • Newsweek
  • National Geographic
  • Psychology Today
  • Natural History
  • The Nation
  • New Republic
  • Science News

Scholarly Journals

Scholarly literature is written by researchers who are experts in their field. People who write for academic journals are employed by colleges, universities, or other institutions of education or research. They submit articles to the editors of the journals, who decide whether or not to publish the article. The most prestigious academic journals subject articles to the peer-review process. This means that, before an article is accepted for publication, it is reviewed by several experts in the field, who suggest possible changes, and recommend to the editor of the journal whether or not to publish the article. Some examples of academic journals are:
  • American Psychologist
  • Psychological Review
  • Current Directions in Psychological Science
  • Annals of the National Academy of Science
  • Psi Chi Journal of Undergraduate Research
  • James Joyce Quarterly
  • Journal of the American Musicological Society

Journal Types: A Comparative Chart

POPULAR SCHOLARLY PROFESSIONAL
Purpose To inform and entertain the general reader To communicate research and scholarly ideas

 

To apply information; to provide professional support

 
Audience General public Other scholars, students

Practitioners in the field, professionals

 
Coverage Broad variety of public interest topics, cross disciplinary Very narrow and specific subjects

 

Information relevant to field and members of a group

 
Publisher Commercial

 

 

Professional associations; academic institutions; and many commercial publishers

 

 Professional, occupational, or trade group
Writers Employees of the publication, freelancers (including journalists and scholars) Scholars, researchers, experts, usually listed with their institutional affiliation

 

Members of the profession, journalists, researchers, scholars

 
Characteristics
  • Little technical language or jargon
  • Few or no cited references
  • Absence of bibliographies
  • General summaries of background information
  • Contain numerous advertisements
  • Articles are usually brief; between 1-7 pages
  • Little or no background information given
  • Technical language and discipline- specific jargon
  • PEER REVIEW, editorial board
  • Bibliographies included
  • Procedures and materials often described in detail
  • Articles are longer, often over 5 pages
  • Application of new technology
  • Employment issues
  • Practitioners viewpoint
  • Technical language used
  • Interpretation of research trends and issues
  • Articles are usually brief; between 1-7 pages
  • Contain advertisements
Frequency

 

Frequent, on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis

 

 Less frequent, on a monthly, quarterly, or annual basis Frequent, on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis
Examples Time, US News and World Report, Modern Healthcare Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome Institute of Transportation Engineers Journal

Trade and Professional Literature

Trade and professional literature resembles scholarly literature in that it is written by people working in the field. However, the articles in trade and professional journals cover news in the field, brief reports on research, and opinions about trends and events. Some examples of trade and professional journals are:

  • American Libraries
  • AdWeek
  • Monitor on Psychology
  • Anthropology Newsletter
  • Back Stage Magazine