According to Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_journal
An academic or scholarly journal is a periodical publication in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as forums for the introduction and presentation for scrutiny of new research, and the critique of existing research.
Since academic journals rely heavily on citing and authenticating existing research, it’s important for today’s academic student to have a treasure trove of resources that are quickly accessible.
Academic Journal Research Tools You’ll Need
Listed below is a short summary of the types of research tools you will need to write your academic journal publication.
- Citations. In your journal article, you must be able to cite pages, other articles, passages, and statements. Having a list of online resources will lessen the time it takes to research your topics.
- Bibliographies. You will benefit from a writing tool that will generate automatic bibliographies that follow the format your academic institution requires, such as Chicago format, MLA, or APA.
- Notes. Do you currently have a method for taking notes that you will later use to document pages in a book you’re citing? Find a note-taking system or device that works best for your needs.
- Highlighting Capability. Many academic students use a color system to highlight and save text during their research phase. Look for markers or digital highlighters that offer up to six different colors, denoting specific areas of your research.
- Bookmarks. When using an online academic journal library system, such as Quesia, you can bookmark any page in any document contained in their library. This makes your research easier and saves time.
Ten Online Sites to Bookmark for Academic Journal Research
Listed below is just a short sample of sites that are available online to assist you with your research, in addition to brick-and-mortar libraries and bookstores.
www.Quesia.com
http://www.researchinglibrarian.com/journals.html
http://www.oxfordjournals.org/en/
http://online.sagepub.com/ (journals by discipline)
http://www.ala.org/acrl/publications
http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2016/04/academic-libraries/browns-flip-library-lends-textbooks-to-low-income-students/ (textbooks for low-income students)
How to Search an Online Academic Journal Library
The four basic strategies for searching an online catalog include: subject, title, author, or keyword in all fields. A search performed for a keyword or all fields search will show you the most results, since this algorithm searches for the word or words contained in the entire catalog. A subject search is more focused as it looks for the word in a specific field. You can also search for an author’s name or a specific category to drill down further in your research.
Searching Periodicals by Type
According to a webpage on the Buffalo.edu site (http://library.buffalo.edu/help/research-tips/evaluate/periodicals.html), this is what they have to say about academic journals and searching periodicals by type.
Periodicals by Type
How to Evaluate Periodicals
Periodicals (also known as serials) are publications printed “periodically”. This means they are published either daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or on an annual basis. The terms periodical, serial, magazine, and journal, are often used interchangeably; however, there are discernable differences among them. Regardless of how they are referred to, the most important thing you will need to know about periodicals is how to evaluate one type from another.
General vs. Scholarly Periodicals?
It is important in research to know how to distinguish between general periodical publications and academic ones. When doing research for assignments you will often be required to seek out articles from academic journals. The UB Libraries subscribe to hundreds of different academic journals, therefore it is important you be able to tell them apart from other types of general journals and publications.
Academic/Scholarly/Refereed/Peer-reviewed Journals
Academic journals publish scholarly and peer-reviewed (also known as refereed) articles. The most important characteristic of scholarly articles that separates them from general or popular ones is that their data and information have been extensively checked and documented. If a scholarly article has been peer-reviewed, that means it has gone through a process in which a panel board of experts (usually other academics) have reviewed its contents and decided it was suitable for publication. Examples of scholarly journals include JAMA, New England Journal of Medicine, Science and the Harvard Business Review.
Other Characteristics:
Academic journals contain extensive, lengthy and detailed articles.
Articles are written by specialists and experts doing original research within a particular field of study.
Articles are reviewed and evaluated by other specialists in the field before they are published.
Articles are intended for professors, researchers, students, and others in the academic community.
Articles written in technical or professional language of the field.
A bibliography is always given at the end of each article.
Usually plain in appearance containing little if any advertisements.
I agree with the information contained on the webpage as cited above, because the more examples you have of how online academic journal libraries work, the easier it will be for you to complete your research in a timely manner.
After your research and writing is complete, you can submit your academic document to WordsRU for a professional edit.
