All About Articles

This research guide describes different characteristics of journal articles, magazine articles, and newspaper articles. Online tutorials on ways to locate online articles and distinguish between popular and scholarly articles are also included.

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Types of Articles

Scholarly, magazine, and newspaper articles each serve different purposes. This chart highlights who writes them, who reads them, and how they are reviewed and written.

Comparison of scholarly journal articles, magazine articles, and newspaper articles using original Phoenix College wording.
Features Scholarly Journal Articles Magazine Articles Newspaper Articles
Examples JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association)
JAMA academic journal Cover of JAMA featuring an abstract geometric artwork with black, gray, and orange blocks.
Time, Newsweek, People

Newsweek magazine Newsweek Election 2020 cover showing a close-up portrait of Joe Biden against a background of U.S. flag stars, with headlines about national issues.
The New York Times,
The Arizona Republic

Arizona Republic Newspaper Front page of the Arizona Republic with a photo of protesters at a rally holding signs, and headlines reporting on tensions at the event.
Who writes the articles in these publications? Experts in the field, such as professionals, scientists, and doctors Mostly journalists Journalists or reporters
Who reads these publications? Other experts in the field or students like you that are doing research Everyone! Everyone!
Who decides if the articles are good enough to be published? Articles are reviewed by other experts (peers) in the field to make sure the content is accurate and the research methods are sound. This is called the peer-review process. Editors for the magazine review the articles. These editors are professional writers, but are not necessarily experts on the topic being written about. Editors for the newspaper
What kind of style are they written in? Written with a lot of big words and technical terminology. Primarily written to educate the reader about new research findings. Written for the general public so has lots of pictures, photographs, and everyday words. Written in an entertaining way. Written for the general public

Library Databases A–Z

Access articles in full text from this alphabetical listing of Phoenix College Library databases.

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