Journal, Magazine, and Newspaper Comparison
| Characteristics | Scholarly (Peer-Reviewed) or (Refereed) & Research Journals | Professional and Trade Industry | Popular Magazines | Newspapers |
| Examples | Journal of American History ; Journal of Educational Research | Library Journal ; Science Teacher | People , Time , Sports Illustrated | New York Times ; Boston Globe |
| Purpose/Content/Use | Read by other researchers and professionals. Used for research, scholarship, and analysis covering in-depth topics | news, events, current trends, products, forecasts and employment | entertainment, special interests, persuasion, opinion, current events, quick facts | current events, news, local information, opinions, entertainment |
| Author | subject specialist and experts (Researchers professors, scholars) | practitioner, professional, subject knowledgeable specialist | staff writer, reporter, journalist | journalist, reporter, and editor, may include expert |
| Audience | Professionals, researchers, scholars, students in a specific discipline | practitioners, professionals, general public | general public | general public |
| Credibility/Reliability | Reviewed/refereed by experts. The format and content meets strict guidelines. Generally includes a bibliography and may also include the author's credentials | Reviewed by editors, professional/trade associations | Editor and staff reviewed | Editor and staff reviewed |
| Appearance | serious; plain paper, may include abstracts, charts, graphs, tables, and a bibliography. | trade advertisements | colorful, glossy, advertisements | advertisements |
| Language | Includes discipline specific language | May include professional jargon | general audience, non-technical, simple language | basic terms, non-technical |
| Length | articles with in-depth coverage | short news items and in-depth articles | short articles | brief articles |
| Frequency | monthly or quarterly | weekly or monthly | weekly or monthly | daily or weekly |
| Publisher | An academic publisher; professional or scholarly association or society | An organization, association, or corporation | Corporation, commercial enterprises, individuals | Corporation, commercial enterprises, individuals |
CRAAP Test
CRAAP - Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose.
One way of testing an articles reliability
Currency: the timeliness of the information
- When was the information published?
- Are the links functional?
Relevance: the importance of the information for your needs
- Does the information relate to your topic or answer your question?
- Who is the intended audience?
Authority: the source of the information
- Who is the author/publisher/sponsor and what are their credentials?
- Does the URL reveal anything about the author or source?
Accuracy: the reliability, truthfulness, and correctness of the content
- Where does the information come from and is it supported by evidence?
- Has the information been reviewed or refereed?
- Are there spelling, grammar, or other typographical errors?
Purpose: the reason the information exists
- What is the purpose of the information?
- Is the information fact? opinion?