About Academic Journals
A journal is a scholarly publication containing articles written by researchers, professors and other experts. Journals focus on a specific discipline or field of study. Unlike newspapers and magazines, journals are intended for an academic or technical audience, not general readers.
Most journal articles…
- Are peer reviewed
- Have original research
- Focus on current developments
- Cite other works and have bibliographies
- Can be in print, online or both
The research journal is a tool which supports research-based learning. It can be used to:
- Generate initial ideas
- Track your thinking
- Identify where your inspiration comes from
- Show how you are going to make use of the information
- Develop your concepts
- Explore potential outcomes
- Evaluate how successful they are
- Indicate what you could take forward to inform your future practice
Journals are published on a regular basis (monthly, quarterly, etc.) and are sequentially numbered. Each copy is an issue; a set of issues makes a volume (usually each year is a separate volume). Like newspapers and magazines, journals are also called periodicals or serials.
Examples
● International Journal of Biosciences (IJB)
● Journal of Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences (JBES)
● International Journal of Agronomy and Agricultural Research (IJAAR)
● International Journal of Biomolecules and Biomedicine (IJBB)
● International Journal of Microbiology and Mycology (IJMM)
Some special features of research journals
| Features | Scholarly and Research Journals |
| Purpose | To inform, report, and make available original research and new findings. |
| Subject | Often devoted to a single discipline or subdiscipline. |
| Access | Open access |
| Value & Uses | Reports on original research; In-depth analysis of topics; Lengthy articles; Statistical information; Academic level book reviews; Refereed or peer-reviewed |
| Audience | Researchers, scholars, professors, academics |
| Language | Academic level writing & vocabulary; Specialized language of the discipline; Can be highly technical |
| Authors | Researchers, academics, professors, scholars |
| Editorial Requirements | Editors/reviewers are experts in same field as authors; may participate in peer-review process prior to publication; Rigorous publication standards; Articles checked for content, format and style |
| Citations & Footnotes | Footnotes & bibliographies; Documentation often extensive |
| Publishers | Professional organizations, universities, research institutes and scholarly presses |
| Graphics & Illustrations | Graphs, charts and tables; Ads and photographs are rare |
Finally, a research journal will help you to:
- Learn from your experiences
- Improve your thinking skills
- Develop problem solving skills
- Apply theory to practice
- Generate ideas/enhance creativity
- Develop your own ‘voice’
- Improve communication skills
- Explore and experiment with ideas
- Move your project on
- Make creative links to develop your own line of reasoning
- Support your response to the brief
- Make your processes visible and track your thinking through each unit
- Talk about your work
- You might return to it and make use of it in later projects
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