Education

Both academic journals and practitioner journals are useful when looking for research on topics in education.

There are some differences:

Academic journals 

• Scholarly - coming from the "academy" (colleges and universities)
• May have the words Journal or Research in the title
• Authored by a professor or researcher
• Usually Peer Reviewed or Refereed - gold standard for academic work; it has been looked over and assessed for errors and significance by an academic’s peers (usually other professors who are also experts in the field of study)
  • Note: an article can be academic without being peer reviewed. Also, an article can be in a peer reviewed journal but not be a research article (e.g. book review)
• These will often have a specific format (introduction, methods, results, and discussion) and a lengthy list of references. 
  • Can be excellent resources for educators on measurement and evaluation, policy, leadership and decision-making, human development, theoretical and conceptual foundations, and institutional structures.
• Citation Example: Pontifex, Matthew B., et al. "The Relation Of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury To Chronic Lapses Of Attention." Research Quarterly For Exercise & Sport 83.4 (2012): 553-559.
  • several authors (researchers) work on the one article
  • longer articles (higher page count)
  • higher level writing, sometimes difficult to understand
  • different terminology (traumatic brain injury vs concussion)
  • publication date important to note

Practitioner / Trade journal 

• Articles are written to reach those working in the field
• Will have information on practical and engaging instructional methods or trends in the field. 
• Usually comes with membership to a professional organization
• These articles will also have references but tend to be fewer. Education practitioner journals feature articles written by educators on trends, changes, and innovative practices in the field. These journals can be excellent resources for educators on instruction, curriculum design, and effective and engaging activities for the classroom.
• Citation Example: Blair, Richard, and Susan Capel. "The Use Of Coaches." Physical Education Matters 3.3 (2008): 5.
  • Physical Education Matters comes with membership to the Association for Physical Education
  • this article on the training of football coaches is 3 pages long
  • practical advice for the workplace

This box and the next one will give you some of the best choices to work with.

• American School Boards Journal (NBSA)

  Provides information on the complex issues facing educators today including education trends, student achievement, curriculum development, school finance, etc.
• American Secondary Education

  Serves administrators, teachers, and others. Examines current issues in secondary education and focuses on the major issues facing those involved with secondary education.
• Educational Leadership

  Articles presenting a variety of viewpoints aimed at leaders in elementary, middle and secondary education, those interested in curriculum, instruction, supervision and leadership in schools.
• Journal of Experiential Education

  Covers outdoor adventure programming, service learning, experimental school-based programming, environmental education, cultural journalism, internships & the creative arts.
• The Learning Professional (Learning Forward)

  Flagship publication of Learning Forward, an association "focused on the most critical lever for improving schools -- building the knowledge and skills of educators."
• Mathematics Teaching

  Concerned with classroom approaches to mathematics teaching. Contains articles written by primary & secondary classroom teachers as well as advisors & other with links with mathematics education.
• Principal Leadership (NAASP)

  Provides practical, hands-on strategies for improving schools in a constantly evolving educational environment.
• Reading Teacher

  The Reading Teacher (RT) provides the latest peer-reviewed, research-based best practices to literacy educators working with children up to age 12. RT’s classroom-ready articles cover topics from curriculum, instruction, and assessment to strategies for teaching diverse populations of literacy learners.
• Rethinking Schools

  Nonprofit magazine dedicated to social justice teaching and activism.
• The School Superintendents Association (AASA)

  AASA Journal of Scholarship & Practice is published through the AASA Leadership Development Office and is a refereed, blind-reviewed, quarterly journal with a focus on research and evidence-based practice. It is designed to benefit AASA members and full-time and adjunct professors.
• Science and Children

  Feature articles selected through peer review, commentary, software reviews, product reviews, on preschool through middle school science teaching.
• Science Teacher

  Features articles for high school science educators, interviews, mentoring, recent news notes, book reviews, and National Science Teachers Association news.
• Social Education

  Social Education contains a balance of theoretical content and practical teaching ideas. The award-winning resources include techniques for using materials in the classroom, information on the latest instructional technology, reviews of educational media, research on significant social studies-related topics, and lesson plans that can be applied to various disciplines.
• Teaching Children Mathematics

  Official journal of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and excellent resource for elementary school teachers.
• Teaching Exceptional Children

  Teaching Exceptional Children (TEC) features research-to-practice information and materials for classroom use, as well as current issues in special education teaching and learning.