Psychology -- Reed-Sallee

Use the questions and table below to help you decide if you've found a scholarly research article. Those items with **** are the most important in identifying both scholarly journals and research studies. 

1. Does it have a bibliography at the end? Scholarly journal articles will have a full and complete bibliography (typically longer than 20 entries).
2. Is the article title descriptive rather than catchy? 
3. Does the article include original research? Look for article sections labeled Methods, Results, Conclusion (or Discussion)

Popular	Trade	Scholarly
Authors-not always identified, frequently a journalist who may or may not have subject expertise	Authors-not always identified, professional in the field or a journalist with subject expertise	Authors-identified, credentials provided in publication but may not be in article
General audience	Professional audience -- practitioners	Professional audience -- researchers, students, professionals
Easy to read, emotionally appealing	Easy to read, but includes professional language	Very densely written, dry, unemotional
Content – reports on research, news and events, reviews	Content – reports on research, news and events, reviews	Content – original research, book reviews, theories
No list of sources (bibliography)	No list of sources (bibliography), may include Suggested Reading	Lengthy list of sources (Bibliography)****
No data or method--conclusions of research may be presented	No data or method--conclusions of research may be presented	If a research study, sections labeled: method, results, conclusion or discussion ********
Article titles are snappy and attention grabbing	Article titles are short and focused	Article titles are long and descriptive ****