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SKW 101

Types of Sources

Features

Magazine

Journal

AUDIENCE

The general public

Experts in a particular field

STYLE

Written for the average reader

Written for experts using professional jargon

EDITING

Edited by magazine staff

Often peer-reviewed (reviewed by a panel of experts in the field)

CONTENTS

Reports on current events and general interest items

Usually presents original research in a specialized field

COVERAGE

Articles are usually short, giving an overview of a topic

Focus of articles is usually narrow and in-depth

AUTHORS

Journalists, laypersons, sometimes no author is given

Experts in the field; author credentials are given

SOURCES

Sources are usually not cited

Sources always cited; bibliographies given

APPEARANCE

Glossy and colorful; lots of graphics and photographs

Serious looking; often have charts and graphs but few photographs

ADS

Lots of ads, often in color

Few ads, if any

EXAMPLES

Time, Newsweek, Ebony, Fortune, Business Week

Clinical Nursing Research, Social Work, Journal of Abnormal Psychology