Differences between Refereed and Non-Refereed Documents - Term Paper Example

Refereed and Non-refereed Articles XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Name XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Course XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Course instructor XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Date submitted Introduction It is evident that newspapers, magazines, journals are very important sources of information in all research disciplines. Research indicates that with a large collection of informational sources, it may be very difficult and cumbersome to distinguish differences that exist between different scholarly articles. Most scholarly articles are widely respected for provision of standard research and information in regard to the desired topic. They are usually written by and for individuals considered to have knowledge and experience on specified disciplines or fields. Within academic research there are various kinds of articles that are useful in carrying out research. These articles are namely; peered or refereed journals, non-peered or non refereed journals, popular periodic and scholarly journals (Antelman G, 2004). Aim Academics should always be aware of their construction and the different kinds of sources which they use while shaping up their research. This study will focus on outlining differences that exists between refereed and non refereed articles and its necessity in coming up with a comprehensive research finding. In addition, the paper is purposed to provide scholars with a basis of understanding and distinguishing between the two types of articles (Tippler 2003). . Terminology Peer Peer is the term given to scholarly professionals who are normally considered to have equaled standing or belonging to a pre-designed societal group within a designed status(Tippler 2003). Review A review is defined as a critical or close examination. Further, it can be defined as a second viewing of past events or facts presented in a scholarly manner (Scholarly vs. Popular Periodicals). Refereed Refereed is a term used to indicate that a certain article have been viewed by several scholars in the discipline been discussed in that particular journal or article. They are normally reviewed by a group of experts to authenticate their relevancy and contribution in the field of research before being published (Scholarly vs. Popular Periodicals). Refereed or peered review articles These are defined as those journals or articles that usually submit articles to various other scholars, academics who are also known as peers with a specified field for their review and comment. Reviewers’ give the last decision on whether the article or journal presented to them is from original research before been allowed to be published. The term peer review is derived from a generic term which entails a process of self regulation by an academic professional or a process whereby articles are thoroughly evaluated within which field there are relevant. Further, there are linked to publications which are not normally routed by a professional referral process but rather presentations during conferences and meetings. Other than these presentations mainly focusing on finely tuned science, non refereed articles wide concern is that of theories, new ideas and practices that could be incorporated a ultimate scientific research making it a success(Tippler 2003). Non refereed / non peered review Non refereed articles are defined as those scholarly articles that have been widely reviewed by board or editors before been passed for any publication. Here, the articles have not passed through a formal blind or anonymous reviewed as compared to peered article. The definition is mainly linked to the opposite of a peer or refereed article definition (Periodicals). Discussion Refereed articles do have the same characteristics as an academic journal. The only exception is that the refereed manuscripts are carefully reviewed before their publication. Most at times, the term refereed is utilized to indicate that the manuscripts that have been submitted to a journal have been thoroughly examined by the editor and a specialist in the field that the article is being written in. this is done before the article is given a clean signal for publication. In addition, an article is termed refereed if it presents a research based on a particular field of study (Finn 2011). The articles are mainly by experts and intended to be read and studied by experts in the field. Refereed articles have foot notes that occur on every page and or a reference or bibliography that always appear on the last page of the article. The references are indicators of where the writer has cited his basis of the written arguments. References are mainly cited from scholarly works written or recorded by experts who have been recognized in the specific fields of study (What is a scholarly article). Refereed articles are blind reviewed and have reviewers to it who are mainly external. This is meant to give the articles a consistency in the research criteria based on objectivity and knowledge. The reviewers are not made known to the authors as their is a large number of reviewers and journals that need to be reviewed. This ensures that the reviews are judged on the basis of merit and not on the reputation of the author. The review of the articles are usually judged by 2 reviewers who are specialists in the field the article is being written in to verify and give an indicator as to whether the articles make viable contributions to the advancement of knowledge in the field or not. This provides a broader perspective in the evaluation of the research. To widen the perspective of the judgments, further discussions on the article between the author and the reviewers are conducted thus seeking to reunite these standpoints (Scholarly (Peer-Reviewed / Refereed) Journals). In addition to these, some researchers put acceptance rates on to journals in the definitions of the refereed journals. However, the methodology of calculating the acceptance rate differs among journals. In some cases, the manuscripts are used as a base for the computation of the acceptance rate. In some cases, the editor is given the authority to choose among the papers presented as to which of them is to be reviewed from which the acceptance rate is calculated from the total manuscripts that have been reviewed. The acceptance rate is further influenced by the number of people who are associated with the particular area of specialization. The fewer the people writing in an area the more the higher the expectance rate for the journals in that area. It is vital to note that judging the usefulness of the journal in a particular area requires the reader to be familiar with many journals specific to their areas of study in order to make a scholarly conclusion. Refereed is often used interchangeably with peer reviewed. An example of a refereed article is given in the appendix 1 (Peer reviewed journals). On the other hand a journal is a periodical that has scholarly articles which gives contemporary investigative information on a specific field of study. A journal is referred to as a refereed journal if it has a reviewing system that is structured. The review system must consist of at least 2 reviewers which are in exclusion of the in house editors. The team evaluates all the unsolicited manuscripts. They are to advice the editors if the article is to be accepted or rejected. Scholarly journals are essential for researchers who want to find out what has been studied on a topic in addition to finding the list of other authors who have written scholarly articles on the topic of issue. These articles are mostly preferred and suggested by universities for use by students in research papers and writing of projects. The purposes for journal articles is to report on the original research theories or/and experiments. The always have foot note and or a bibliography. They appearance imprint is always somber and formal as they are meant to pass across relevant knowledge (Tippler, J, 2003). The terminology often utilized in the writing of journals is always technical and has to be appropriate to the specific field of study. They are often lengthy and structured in internationally identified sections that include: Abstract, methodology, literature review, results, bibliography and conclusion. They may have an inclusion of charts in them depending on the field of study but have limited or no advertisements. They are normally published by either a professional association or profitable/commercial enterprises. As mentioned above, the articles are normally reviewed and revised before being given the green light for publication. The process of the review of the articles by scholars before they are allowed to be published is known as peer review. This is the reason why they are normally considered to be refereed journals (Tippler 2003). The journal articles can be located from a database using two ways. These include: making use of the subject definite subscription publication catalog/database or the limiting of the search in a broad subscription publication catalog. It must however be noted that not all journals are refereed articles. All the articles that are peer reviewed have an arrow (>) on the left of the article’s title. Non-refereed articles are materials such as trade journals which use less painstaking standards of reviewing or screening prior to publications. They are normally screened by publication editors who however knowledgeable is not is not an authority in all the subject areas that are published therein. Non-refereed materials often accept almost anything to be published for them to have an article to print. They are often run by firms that are aimed either for profit making or for marketing. In as much as the non-refereed articles use the formal language in the writing of their publications, they are not subject to the use of the formal language and seriousness that is accorded to the refereed journals which are tailored to meet the needs of the scholars. Some of them however, can be considered academic journals (Periodicals). Non refereed articles often provide new information about an industry or particular profession. They mainly provide information both educated lay audiences. At times non refereed articles have inclusions of bibliographies in them. The authors may not be necessarily experts in the field the yare writing in but could be staff writers and/or casual writers. The language employed in the writing of non-refereed articles is mainly geared to the educated lay person and do not emphasize on the specialty however, they assume a certain level of formal education. Often the form of language used includes the industry jargon from which the article is being written from and targeting the audience of people who have some background of the field in which the article is written from (Publications option 4). Non-refereed articles do not have a structure and are always brief. The inclusions of photographs and illustrations may be included as they are meant to pass across a message to practitioners or/and educators within the industry or specific profession. The articles are normally attractive and follow a glossy format. They utilize a lot of advertisement that is targeted to the people in the specific profession or field (Antelman 2004). Non-refereed articles are also known as periodicals and they are subject to the laws of the state in which they are published. This among others include: being published at stated intervals and the publications must be accessible for distribution to the general public. Secondly, the publications must have a continuity of content from one issue to the other. Thirdly, the articles must have a variety of articles each with dedicated writers or authors who are devoted to the specific disciplines they are writing for. News letters that conform to the above regulations are also referred to as non-refereed articles. However, news letters have no articles that are signed but have writers or staffs that are attached to ad originally make articles available. Non-refereed articles that are produced in hard copy are typically soft covered with bindings that are simple. They are not limited to the print or produce format as some are normally accessed online and in other modes of communication which include CD-ROM and other optical materials. The content of non-refereed articles always and not most of the time reflect the most contemporary views in a treatment of an event or issue. They are the best place for persons to air their opinions or thoughts on a particular issue or topic that might or is of great interest to the public or interested persons. Topics that mostly appear on non-refereed journals are those that are not easily found in published books meant for scholarly work and research. Periodicals and non-refereed articles could also include magazines as they are a popular type of periodicals that are appealing to a broad collection of readers. They however tend to be shorter in length and a diction that is not as specialized or technical. Non-refereed articles in form of periodicals can also be found in news journals and papers which have articles that tend to address contemporary proceedings and concerns(Library & Information Resources 10). Trade periodicals are non-refereed articles that are targeted towards particular occupational factions and business entities. They are characterized by shorter articles that are geared towards factions that share similar occupational challenges and aspirations if not the same. The trade periodicals are often used to proffer insight into inclinations on particular phases of commerce and industries that offer services. On the other hand, non-refereed articles can also be scholarly. These are such articles that contain scholarly and technical terms and always appear to follow certain complex conversational models which pay emphasis on areas that have been researched on. They are often intended for a specific audience or segment of population and usually contain lengthy bibliography or references. They are divided in to 3 general areas which include: humanities, sciences and social sciences (Library & Information Resources 10). Non-refereed articles can be accessed through the use of a periodical index. This is a citation catalog that is used to refer to full articles that are produced on a periodic basis. The editorial can be cataloged by the theme heading that illustrates the content of the article. An example of a non-refereed article is given in appendix 2(Library & Information Resources 10). In conclusion, refereed articles are those that are written by scholars and technocrats in a particular field and are often meant for scholars or students perusing research in that specific are of study. They are normally reviewed by a panel of experts in the specific areas of publication to assess their relevancy before they are allowed to be published. The refereed articles employ the formal language. They have a structure that they follow that is accepted internationally. To maintain accuracy and eliminate biasness, the reviewers of the refereed articles are not known to the writer and vice versa. They always have a bibliography indicating the list of references that the author used to base the arguments. On the other hand, non-refereed articles are those that are written on periodic basis and do not follow a scholarly structure. They are mostly authored by persons who are not specifically specialists in the area of study in which they are writing in. if the non-refereed articles are addressing a certain group of persons; they are allowed to use the specific jargon that is specific to the group of people. They often do not have a bibliography or a reference list to support their arguments. However, some of the non-refereed articles could be scholarly and tend to use scholarly and technical language that is aimed at a particular cluster mainly in the business setting. References Library & Information Resources 10, Viewed on the 3rd of May 2011 from: http://www.sonic.net/~jeanlass/srjc/Document%20Storage/periodicalsnotes.pdf. Peer reviewed journals, Viewed on the 3rd of May 2011 from: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/lsl/help/modules/peer.html. What is a scholarly article, Viewed on the 3rd of May 2011 from: http://www.csuchico.edu/lins/handouts/scholarly.pdf Scholarly vs. Popular Periodicals, Viewed on the 3rd of May 2011 from: http://lgdata.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/docs/124/53481/scholarly_popularPeriodicals.PDF Periodicals, Viewed on the 3rd of May 2011 from: http://www.det.wa.edu.au/education/cmis/cat/libprocmanual/chapter5.pdf Types of periodicals, Viewed on 3rd May 2011 from: http://www.clark.edu/Library/PDF/types_periodicals.pdf Periodicals, Viewed on the 3rd of May 2011 from: http://avconline.avc.edu/slee/PowerPoints/Periodicals_%28Spring_05%29.pdf Scholarly (Peer-Reviewed / Refereed) Journals, Viewed on the 3rd of May 2011 from: http://library.csustan.edu/guides/subjects/REF29.Scholarly-periodicals.pdf Tippler, J, 2003, Refereed journals: do they insure quality or enforce orthodoxy? New Orleans,la 70118 usa. Publications option 4, Viewed on the 3rd of May 2011from: http://www.scteachers.org/cert/recert/pdf/matrix_dist_ent.pdf Policy on pre-publication evaluation, Viewed on the 3rd of May 2011 from: http://www.acm.org/publications/policies/prepub_eval Antelman G, 2004, Do Open-Access Articles Have a Greater Research Impact? College & Research Libraries 9:372-382 Finn, M, Publish, Don't Perish, Viewed on the 3rd of May 2011 from: http://www.nacbs.org/forum/publish.pdf Hemmings, B, et al, 2007Academics’ views on publishing refereed works: A content analysis, springer nsw. Read More