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Part I:
1. Find a science article in the popular press
Find and print an article published in 2017 in a popular newspaper, magazine, or website. It cannot be from a science magazine or website, but it can be either in print or online. The article must mention a scientific research study, and give you some clues about where to find that study, such as the name of at least one of the authors.
For detailed instructions see Step 1: Find a Popular Press Article
2. Find the research article referred to in the popular press article
Using the clues found in your popular press article (date, article name, name of journal, etc.), find the citation for the journal article where the original research was published. This article must come from a scholarly peer-reviewed journal published in 2016 or 2017. See the page Scholarly vs Popular for help figuring out the difference. If you cannot locate the scientific article, you'll have to start over and find a new popular press article.
For detailed instructions see Step 2: Find the Scholarly Article
3. Assess the scientific research article
After you have found a peer-reviewed journal article in print or online, you must critically assess the work to ensure it is appropriate for this assignment. You need a Research Article that presents the original findings of a scientific study. When you have verified that your article meets the assignment criteria, print the first two pages.
For detailed instructions see Step 3: Assessing Scholarly Articles
Part II:
4. Read and reflect on the popular press and research articles
Reflect on how well the popular press article summarizes the research article, and how the scientific method has been applied in the research study. Refer to your assignment for the particular questions your instructor wishes you to address. You will also need to write CSE style citations for both articles.
For detailed instructions see CSE Citation Style
See the full version of the assignment here.
You need to find an article about scientific research that has been published in 2017 in a popular source, such as a newspaper, magazine, or website. This article cannot be from a magazine or website that is specifically about science, such as Discover or Scientific American, because that would be too easy!
Here are some ways to find a popular press article about scientific research:
Look through the article to make sure that it A) describes a scientific research study, and B) gives some clues that will be useful in tracking down the original research. If it meets these criteria, look for the corresponding scholarly article.
Take a look at some quality online popular press journals and magazines as you conduct your research:
1. Search your popular article for clues that will help you find the scholarly article on which it is based. Ideally, you should find at least two of the following:
For example, in the article Is it Easier for Women to Get Stoned? the relevant clues are that:
2. Once you've found these clues, go to the TRU Library home page and click on "Journal" tab.
3. Enter the name of the journal to see if TRU subscribes to the publication you're looking for.
Note that if TRU does not subscribe to the journal, then you will need to return to Step 1 and find another popular article.
4. If TRU subscribes to the journal, search within the publication for one or more of your other clues: an author, keyword, date, etc.
5. When you think you have a match, make sure that the research article meets the criteria for this assignment, which are that it must:
Note that if the original research article does not meet all three of these conditions, then you will need to return to Step 1 and find another popular article.
6. Print the first two pages of the article to hand in with your assignment. Now that you're found both the popular and the scholarly articles, you can move on to Part II, in which you're asked to read and reflect on these articles. Refer to your assignment for the particular questions your instructor wishes you to address. You will also need to write CSE style citations to hand in with each article.
Getting the right information from citation can be challenging. Watch this short video explaining how to get the information you need from citations.
What is a “research article”?
When scientists and other scholars present their study or research results to the public, they are generally publishing in a scholarly journal. Such journal titles might be New England Journal of Medicine, or Journal of Cell Biology.
A research article is a journal article in which researchers present the results of an original research project, experiment or study. Usually this type of article is written by more than one person, since it typically requires a team to design, carry out, and analyze the data from such a research project. This type of article is then published in a journal devoted to the particular field in which the research was performed.
Research articles will usually contain:
Summarizes the article’s contents. This is written by the author(s) of the article.
Orients the reader. This will tell the reader why the authors performed their particular research. The introduction usually begins with a literature review. The introduction does not receive a heading.
Tells the reader how the research was conducted. This section may be subdivided into subsections describing Materials, Apparatus, Subjects, Design, and Procedures.
Summarize the data collected.
The authors explain how the data fits their original hypothesis, state their conclusions, and look at the theoretical and practical implications of their research.
Lists the complete bibliography of sources cited in the research article.
Research articles are not . . .basic summaries nor general introductions to a topic.
Many of the Library's Article Databases allow you to narrow your search to peer-reviewed (academic) journals, but your search doesn't end there; not all articles retrieved from academic journals are going to be research articles.
Knowing the components of an academic journal will help you to determine which articles are research articles, and which are not, despite appearing in an academic journal.
Note: even within a peer-reviewed publication, not all of these components are necessarily subject to the peer-review process. You will need to read a specific publication's editorial policies to determine whether their letters to the editor, book reviews, and news briefs are peer-reviewed prior to publication, or whether they just review feature-length research articles.
Research Article
A Research Article:
These articles can be identified by looking for the following elements:
They are also sometimes referred to as “empirical studies,” and they will usually make up the majority of the content in a journal.
Review Article
A Review Article is a secondary source that reports and summarizes other authors’ works for the purpose of reviewing the state of the literature on a particular topic. Review articles contain helpful bibliographies and can be excellent sources for identifying Research Articles in an area of study, but they are not themselves Research Articles.
Clinical Article
Written for practitioners (for example in Nursing,) these articles might present a particular case study or define a new technique.
Theoretical Article
Written to advance theory, these articles use existing research to present a new theory or to analyze and criticize existing theories. The existing research could be found elsewhere in Research Articles, but the Theoretical Article itself should not be confused with a Research Article.
News Report or Brief Report
Journals may contain a News section with brief reports on brand-new research in the field; these are quick summaries or announcements of the research studies, and not full research articles presenting the research findings. The related research article may, in fact, not yet be published.
Book Reviews
Some journals include a section with reviews of new scholarly books in the field of study. The depth of the reviews depends on the specific journal, as does the process by which books are considered for review in the first place. Book reviews can be helpful in identifying resources for further reading.
TRU Library licenses many databases in support of your learning. Look for academic journals in one of the many databases provided to you by your Library.
|
Scholarly |
vs. |
Popular |
|
· Written by researchers, professionals, or experts in the field · Author's credentials are listed |
Author |
· Written by journalists, reporters, freelance writers, and other paid staff · Rarely experts in the field |
|
· Advanced reading level · Researchers, students, academics, and professionals |
Audience |
· Basic reading level · General public |
|
· Specialized or technical vocabulary · Topic is narrowly focused and research-based · Long articles: 5+ pages |
Language & Length |
· Language is understood by almost anyone · General/popular interest topics and news items · Short articles: 1/2 - 5 pages |
|
· "Peer-reviewed" or "refereed" articles are screened and approved by other researchers and experts in the field |
Review Process |
· Articles are reviewed and approved for publication by the magazine or journal's editor |
|
· Often a specific format: e.g., Abstract, Methodology, Discussion, Summary, Charts, Conclusion · Descriptive titles · Limited or no advertising |
Appearance & Organization |
· No set format · Attention-grabbing titles · Lots of advertising |
|
· Scientific, medical, and research institutions, libraries · In print and online at TRU Library |
Location of Information |
· Grocery stores, newsstands, bookstores · In print and online at TRU Library |
|
· Extensive bibliography and citations throughout · ·Sources can be verified |
Citations & Bibliography |
· Rarely any citations · Difficult to verify source of information |
|
Journal of Zoology, Journal of Anthropology, Journal of Clinical Nursing, Educational & Child Psychology |
Examples |
Maclean's, The Walrus, Popular Science, People, Where Calgary |
Created by Lucy Scribner Library. Scholarly vs. popular periodicals. Retrieved from http://lib.skidmore.edu/library/index.php/help-topics/35-help/69-scholarly-vs-popular-periodicals-characteristics. Adapted by Thompson Rivers University Library, September 2011
Created by Nevada University Libraries. Distinguishing scholarly and popular articles. Retrieved from http://library.nevada.edu/inst/docs/distinguishing.pdf. Adapted by Thompson Rivers University Library, September 2011
Take a few minutes to watch this video presenting more information about scholarly and popular journals.
For easy reference, print out your own copy of a handout comparing scholarly and popular journals and articles.
There are workshops designed specifically to walk you through the BIOL1110 library assignment. Check out the workshop calendar and find a session you can attend. Register now to avoid disappointment!