UGS 303: Gender, Slavery and Freedom / Berry

Here are the results from the quiz you took. Let's fill in any gaps.

Answers: Professors are the most likely candidates here - any expert in a field would publish in these journals and they typically, but not always, have academic backgrounds. 

Additionally, professors do not get paid to write or make you read these articles. Not many people think they are easier to find than other information, especially since you must use databases to gain access to these subscriptions. The reason they are valuable is because they are they only places where scholars are having these conversations about research - the kind you need to use as evidence in your papers.

Answers: Peer review is when experts in a field review an article before it is published. More likely than not, articles are sent back to the authors for revisions. Articles are chosen for publication based predominantly upon what new and meaningful contribution to the field they offer.

Our subscriptions and collections cost about 13 million dollars this year. This information is not available for free. It is essential to the research mission of this University. 

Who writes these articles?

Experts in their fields. For history, that likely means professors who research in addition to teach. 

Why do they write in these journals and not in magazines or newspapers or in books?

The most rigorous research happens in these journals. Publishing in these journals assures that your research will be read and cited by experts within your field of study. This research is the most up to date - once research is published here, it can be referenced for a general audience in newspapers or magazines, or it may be referenced in a more comprehensive work, such as a book. Having an article published in a journal is prestigious and may be a factor in getting and keeping one's job at a university. No, authors do not get paid by these publications. 

How do I access these journals?

These journals are very expensive to subscribe to. This university provides access to many, and will borrow from other libraries on your behalf so you have virtually complete access to scholarship. You can search within the databases I recommend and Google Scholar (but use the link to GS that I provide since it links with our subscriptions).