Lesson 2:
Defining Research Needs

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Understand Your Assignment

Resource Types

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Resource Types

Popular Magazines

Popular magazines supply helpful information about general interest issues and current events. The articles focus on issues of current interest including news and trends. Magazines articles must be approved by an editor and therefore do go through a filtering process. How extensive the editorial process is depends on the policies of the individual magazine.

But popular magazine articles do not undergo a true peer-review process and are not based on extensive research. The articles are written by journalists, rather than researchers and professors. Generally, they do not include a list of references at the end, so you cannot trace the origins of the writer's ideas. Also, magazines are often written for a specific audience and may contain bias.

Consider: Are popular magazine articles useful resources for your topic? Why or why not?