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Popular Magazines: Periodicals aimed at a general or nonprofessional audience (ex. Rolling Stone)
Strengths:
- Source for background on significant musical events, including names, dates, interviews, photographs.
- Popular perspectives on social impacts of research
- Perspectives of particular groups
- Reviews of popular literature, art, music, & film
Considerations:
- May be used for clues even when not cited in final paper
- Be wary of bias; objectivity is a myth. What do you know about the publisher? Does the publication have an editorial slant? Who is responsible for content?
Scholarly Journals: Periodical publications (usually monthly or quarterly), containing scholarship, empirical research reports, and/or learned commentary on subjects of special interest to a specific academic or professional community. Journals are a formal means of communicating ideas in academic scholarship, and publication in journals is one of the main criteria for promotion among university faculty. Some publications put out by professional music associations such as the MENC straddle the line between being scholarly and popular. Many such magazines contain significant articles. Strengths:
- Written by and for scholars, researchers, and professionals – a formal conversation among specialists
- Contain bibliographies with full citations
- Filtering (peer review, or refereeing) ensures high credibility
- In-depth analysis of narrowly-focused subjects
- Authoritative source for research findings
Considerations:
- Dense, technical vocabularies may require reading an overview and gathering terminology beforehand
- Normally published monthly or quarterly; not a source for current events
- May only be available in libraries or through licensed internet sources
- Many music journals are published by professional associations that also produce newsletters. These are a good source for finding out about upcoming events such as concerts, conferences, and the like.
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