Special Education Topics - Visual Impairment

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