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Research

Books vs. journals, newspapers & magazines

Information can be found in different formats. For your assignments, you should typically consult and cite a mix of books and periodicals (journals, newspapers, and magazines, which are published "periodically"). Knowing the difference between them will help you determine what's best&#8212the most relevant and useful&#8212for your assignment.


Books

Journals, Newspapers and Magazines
In-depth and broad examination of a topic May be in-depth but only on a specific topic
Longer lag between an event or discovery and a book's publication. As a result...
  • More complete information (causes, effects, long-term consequences, fuller conclusions, etc.)
  • Deeper analysis
  • Broader historical perspective; more contextual both within and outside of a discipline
 Cover recent developments and events with little time lapse. As a result...
  • Information is current but may be incomplete
  • Captures "the spirit of the moment" (especially newspapers and magazines)
  • Journals are important for reporting fast-paced, competitive or time-sensitive research
Contain original research that may cover multiple experiments or span several years Journals have original research and typically focus on one experiment; newspapers and magazines may refer to research studies, but do not contain original research
More cumulative coverage of a topic Limited coverage without much historical overview or context
Longer: 100 to several hundred pages Shorter: a few hundred words (newspaper articles) up to around 30 pages (journal articles)
Published once, though revised editions may come out later Composed of volumes and issues published on a regular basis



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