Why Peer-Reviewed Journals? Are They Really Better?

Authorship

Yes. Articles in academic journals are written by credentialed professionals in that field who are often at the forefront of knowledge and research in their disciplines. In contrast, articles in magazines are written by staff journalists who usually do not possess specialized training or degrees in the many topics they may report on.

Advertising

Academic journals rarely take any form of paid advertising. Instead, most of these journals are supported by academic institutions, research institutes, library subscriptions and forms of non-commercial revenue. By avoiding commercial advertising, these publications also have a better chance of avoiding conflicts of interest and have more freedom when it comes to the topics covered and how those topics are treated. On the other hand, advertising-supported magazines can experience varying degrees of control over their editiorial process by advertisers and other commerical interests.

Peer Review

Finally, in most academic journals, before an article is published it first must undergo a rigorous process of peer review. During this process, the article is sent out (with the author's name and affiliations deleted) to a review board of experts in the specific discipline area that the article is written in. This board of peer experts (who remain anonymous to the original author) provide criticism, corrections and suggestions to the article that must be made before it is published. This review board can also deny an article's publication. This process helps to insure that only the most credible and important information sees publication. In contrast, magazine articles are usually reviewed only during a fact-checking process. 

How to Find Sources Using UMUC Library OneSearch

The UMUC Library provides a helpful research tool: OneSearch.  It allows you to find scholarly articles, books, and/or other research resources via a single search engine. You can simultaneously search most of the databases to which the UMUC Library subscribes, either directly or as additional resources.

Different from Google

Although UMUC Library OneSearch is a single search engine, it does not search for information in the same way that Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc., do.  In popular search engines, it is typical, though not necessary, to ask a question.  

Example: What country won the most gold medals at Sochi 2014?

Academic search engines work differently.  They require that you search them using key terms separated by the Boolean Operators known as "AND," "OR," and "NOT." 

How Do I Use Boolean Operators? 

To make the research process easier, the UMUC Library has created a video to explain how to use each of the operators:

• AND - http://www.umuc.edu/library/libhow/booleanand_tutorial.cfm
• OR -   http://www.umuc.edu/library/libhow/booleanor_tutorial.cfm
  
• NOT - http://www.umuc.edu/library/libhow/booleannot_tutorial.cfm

• Sochi 2014 AND gold medals
  
• Sochi AND 2014 AND medals AND gold