You don't need to see the journal to get an idea of its scholarship. Consider the title. Does it seem scholarly?
Scholarly titles:
- are descriptive of the topic;
- are not cute, funny or gimmicky;
- sound serious.
Popular titles might include terms like Today, Digest, Popular, and Illustrated.
Scholarly titles might include terms like Research, Review, Applied, Acta, Issues, Bulletin, International, Science, and Journal of.
Compare the two columns in this chart and note differences between popular titles and scholarly titles.
Popular Titles | Scholarly Titles |
---|---|
Today's Parent | Early Development and Parenting |
MoneySense SmartMoney |
Journal of International Money and Finance Journal of Money, Credit, and Banking |
Golf Digest Runner's World Sports Illustrated |
Sport Management Review European Journal of Sport Science Journal of Sports Sciences |
Ladies Home Journal | Journal of International Women's Studies |
Midwifery Today | Journal of Midwifery and Women's Health |
Next: the Journal cover.