Public Relations (PR)

Academic Journals and Articles 

Academic journals contain lots of individual articles on specific topics and themes. They are written by specialised professionals and academics (such as your lecturers). 

These journals are highly regarded as sources of academic information and often include the very latest research and analysis from across the UK and around the world.

  Finding, reading and referencing relevant journal articles will get you the highest marks. 

What is a journal?

• A collection of articles relating to a particular topic

• Published regularly (e.g. once a month, quarterly, annually) 
   

What is an article?

• An individual piece of research written by an academic, professional or expert

• Published together with other articles by other authors in a journal

Why use journal articles?

• Include the latest research and up-to-date
• Cover very specific topics
• Quality checked during a peer review process
• List references used - good source for further research
• Search for specific articles online 

  How do I find journal articles?
 

1) Check your Reading list!

• If your lecturer has recommended some titles, click on these, follow the access instructions and then do a basic search. 
• It's always a good idea to reference some journal articles from recommended sources in your assignments

2) Do a quick search on the Articles drop down via the Library Catalogue. 

• Enter your search terms
• Refine your results using the Peer-reviewed Journals option (this then lists articles from the most scholarly journals)
• Use View online to see where you can access the article 
• Check the access instructions and then GO!  

The Articles tab is very general and you may get a lot of results which are not relevant. 

3) Use a Library eResource

• Here you can locate journal articles on specific topics which are directly aimed at your subject area.  Find details in the eResources section on the left.
   

The Library pays for you to have access to these key resources and you will improve your marks if you read and reference appropriate library materials in your work!