Journals for Mechanical Engineering

Comparing Types of Articles

Research Articles

A research article is a primary source...that is, it reports the methods and results of an original study performed by the authors. The kind of study may vary (it could have been an experiment, survey, interview, etc.), but in all cases,raw data have been collected and analyzed by the authors, and conclusions drawn from the results of that analysis.

Review Articles

A review article is a secondary source...it is written about other articles, and does not report original research of its own. Review articles are very important, as they draw upon the articles that they review to suggest new research directions, to strengthen support for existing theories and/or identify patterns among existing research studies. For student researchers, review articles provide a great overview of the existing literature on a topic. If you find a literature review that fits your topic, take a look at its references/works cited list for leads on other relevant articles and books!

For Engineering fields, trade journals/magazines can be as important as scholarly articles-- but only scholarly journals are peer-reviewed.

  • The information in a peer-reviewed article is reliable, but it takes a long time to get published.
  • Trade journals provide current, brief information on the latest discoveries, inventions, and updates.
Table adapted from Meriam Library, California State University, Chico

Scholarly Journal

Trade Journal/Magazine

News

Conference Proceedings
Purpose To inform and report on original research or experimentation To provide news and updates to people in a particular industry or profession To provide general information to a lay audience To document new concepts and techniques, work in progress presented at a conference
Peer-reviewed? Some journals are Never Never Some article proposals are
Cited Sources Has substantial bibliographies Occasionally include brief bibliographies Rarely include bibliographies Has substantial bibliographies
Authors Scholars or researchers in the field, specialty Practitioners and educators within the industry or profession

News reporters or free-lance writers

 Scholars or researchers in the field, specialty
Appearance

Articles are lengthy and structured into sections: abstracts, lit. review, method, architecture, results, conclusions, bibliography

Contains graphs, charts, photographs supporting the research

Photographs and illustrations used to support the article but also for aesthetic purposes to draw in readers

Articles are usually brief and do not follow a certain format

Photographs and illustrations used to support the article but also for aesthetic purposes to draw in readers

Articles are usually brief and do not follow a certain format

Articles are lengthy and structured into sections: abstracts, lit. review, method, architecture, results, conclusions, bibliography

Contains graphs, charts, photographs supporting the research

Characteristics of Peer-reviewed Articles

  • Peer-reviewed articles are reviewed and evaluated by experts in the field before they are accepted for publication
  • Articles that are peer-reviewed are published in a peer-reviewed journal
  • "Refereed" is another word for peer-reviewed
  • Note:Not all scholarly articles are peer-reviewed

How to verify an article is peer-reviewed

To verify whether an article is peer-reviewed, you need to check whether the journal in which the article is published is peer-reviewed. There are two ways:

1. Long Way — Search for the journal title on Google; go to the journal's website and search (Ctrl+ F on Windows; Cmd + F on Mac) for the words peer review. Look on the website for information about the editorial policy, submission process or requirements for author’s submission. This section of the website will often give insight into whether or not the journal has a peer-review process.

2. Preferred Way — Go to Ulrich's Periodicals Directory and search for the journal title. See page: Verifying peer-reviewed