EDUC 2430 Education Research and Data Analysis

In a university library you will find mostly academic journals. Journals are published on a regular basis, for example either quarterly or monthly.  One year of a journal is usually referred to as a "volume" and with each volume they are given an "issue" number.    Within each issue of a journal you will find journal articles.  Journal articles differ from magazine articles as follows:

• Journal articles are usually focused on one topic or research question.
• They are in-depth and lengthy. They will usually have an introduction, a literature review and a bibliography at the end.
• They are written by an expert in a specific field and will provide information about research or new knowledge in a subject area.
• Journal articles will  use words that are specific to that subject area. Usually the readers are familiar with this specific vocabulary.

You can search for journal articles using a journal database available through the library website, AtoZ Databases link. 

It is also possible to search for journal articles using Omni.   A short video on using Omni to search for articles is available here.

Popular magazine articles are different from academic journals because they are mostly written for a

general audience. 

They are published regularly and also include magazine articles.  Magazine articles are different from journal articles:

• Articles are usually written for a general audience.
• Are shorter and may include glossy pictures.

Trade Magazine articles are articles that are meant for individuals working in a specific profession.  The

articles are geared towards trends and issues in that profession. 

At Lakehead University you can find popular and trade magazine articles by searching through a database such as Canadian Business & Current Affairs. Trade magazine articles can also be found by searching some of the subject specific databases that are available on the AtoZ Databases page. 

Newspaper Articles provide information on current events and local information.   Articles provide information for a general audience on topics of current interest.

Many newspapers have websites where they post content such as classified advertisements, but not full content.  

At Lakehead University, databases such as Canadian Major Dailies, have full-text access for most major Canadian newspapers.

View this brief video tutorial for help with finding newspaper articles. 

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