Journals are a primary means of communication among professionals or scholars in a particular field. Articles in journals report on original research or experiments. Before an article is published, it is often reviewed by a panel of experts. This review process is known as peer review or juried review. Journal articles will always have a detailed bibliography or works citied list. Journals are usually published by associations, universities or research institutions.
Magazines are usually commercially published, and cover current or popular topics. This type of publication can provide a good overview or summary of a topic. Magazine articles can be opinionated or represent a very specific point of view. Magazines are illustratred and likely include advertising.
Different search tools will give you different results! Whichever search tool you use, be sure to evaluate your sources for currency, relevance, authority, accuracy, and purpose.
To expand your search beyond Single Search, or focus your research on a specific subject area, try starting from the library's Databases A-Z page. This is an excellent way to find Canadian sources! Watch this short video to learn more.
You can use Google Scholar to find peer-reviewed articles, theses, books, abstracts and other sources available on the public internet. If you want access to more full text results, use the link on Camosun Library's A-Z list or follow the instructions below to add links to Camosun databases.
Use Camosun Library's Publication Finder to search for a specific journal, magazine, or other periodical. This can be helpful if your instructor recommends a specific title, or if you are trying to locate the full text of a specific article you find through Google Scholar.
Look for the link to Journals, Magazines & Newspapers under the Articles & databases tab on the library home page:
or the link to Publications under the Research Tools menu in Single Search:
For example, you find an article in Google Scholar, but when you click the link, it asks you to pay to access the full text.
You search the journal title, Geomorphology, in Publication Finder and discover you can access the article free from the library through the ScienceDirect database!
