Scholarly Journals as Original Sources of Data

The significance of identifying scholarly journals as original sources of data is first understood by noting the distinction between scholarly books and journals. The contents of a book are static while journals are fluid. In other words, the book represents an attempt to be a comprehensive treatise on a subject while academic journals record current professional activity, conversation. The academic journal is the meeting place of minds, a formal interchange of ideas, and the documentation of the current study, statistics, and debate. “Journals are scholarly or professional periodicals available primarily in academic libraries and by subscription. . . . Journals are not the same as magazines, which are usually intended for a more general readership.” (Turabian, 254) In other words, subscriptions and a specialized audience are other distinctions that elevate the scholarly journal over a book.

Discovering the vast array of academic societies represented by journals is as rewarding as discovering articles in and of themselves. Just think that a small group of men and women are equally curious to understand such a small cross-section of the world with the view to make a significant contribution to it by exchanging ideas! This writer was delighted to discover what areas of attention each journal represented, noting how these foci revealed a kind of topography to be considered in shaping one’s own topic of interest. One example is found in researching the writing style of Marcus Aurelius only to discover an obscure theory in a medical journal (of all places) suggesting that the good Emperor was influenced by opium and not philosophy, hence his so-called dissociated writing style. This revelation unearthed an unexpected element of consideration as an examination of leadership provided by this Roman Emperor is at the heart of this writer’s work.

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Turabian, Kate L. 2018. A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, Ninth Edition: Chicago Style for Students and Researchers. Edited by Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams, Joseph Bizup, William T. FitzGerald, and The University of Chicago Press Editorial Staff. Ninth edition. Chicago ; London: University of Chicago Press.