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Nursing Library Orientation: About Articles

About Different Types of Articles

Nursing publications are not all the same. You need to know the difference. For most assignments, you will be expected to use articles from peer-reviewed, scholarly journals.

Some terms to understand: 

  • "Periodical" is a term that encompasses both magazines and journals.
  • "Magazine" refers to a popular or trade publication.
  • "Journal" is used for periodicals that publish scholarly content.
    • "Peer-reviewed" articles provide the highest quality control standard as articles are scrutinized by experts in the field before being published.
    • "Editor-reviewed" articles have more limited review and do not meet the same gold standard of quality.
    • "Research" articles have undergone peer-review and present the results of rigorous research studies. This work is seen as contributing to the knowledge base of the field and moving it forward.

Find Out More about Different Types of Journals

Check out this presentation to learn more about appropriate articles for use with your nursing assignments: