How do you decide if the article you are reading is appropriate to include in your paper?
First, some terminology.
Periodical means something that is published repeatedly. A magazine that is published once a month is a periodical. Journals and newspapers are also periodicals. A book that is published once is not a periodical, it is a monograph.
When you search in Omni, you will see results from all sorts of publications: magazines, academic articles, theses, books, reports, and more!
Learn how to distinguish between scholarly and popular resources in the following video:
Let's review some of the characteristics of popular and scholarly sources:
Popular
intended for a general audience and are not usually written by researchers or professors
the author's name and affiliation may not be given
no abstract at the beginning of articles
seldom contain footnotes or a bibliography
articles are often enhanced with glossy photos or other illustrations
articles are often short - fewer than 5 pages
often full of advertising
examples: The Economist, Time, Maclean's, Psychology Today, Newsweek
Scholarly
written for an academic audience and uses specialized vocabulary
author' credentials and institution will be identified
usually an abstract at the beginning of articles
footnotes and/or a bibliography
may contain charts and tables but generally not glossy photos or other graphics
articles will usually be longer than 5 pages
journals contain little or no advertising
examples: Journal of Communication, Journal of Sport Management, Lancet
