COMM 220: Communication Theory: Journal Articles

You will often be asked to search for academic or scholarly articles and journals. What does that mean? How are they different from other articles and journals?

Academic Journals and Articles

• An academic article is created by academics for academics.
• The research and information is considered to be trustworthy and well-researched.
• Academic journals often have the word "journal" in the title, like Journal of Business Communication.
• Academic articles are long. A short academic or scholarly article is five pages long; most are 15 to 20 pages long.
• Academic journals rarely feature color picutres; most will feature charts and graphs, but not pictures.
• Authors often have an affiliation with a university or research institute.

General-interest Magazines

• General-interest magazines include titles like Time, Newsweek, Forbes, and Rolling Stone.
• Articles are often shorter and written for a general audience.
• Articles feature color images and the magaiznes are slick and glossy.
• Don't dismiss an article in a general-interest magazine, but be aware of who it is written for and where it is coming from.