Social Work: Journals/Articles

Academic Journals are magazines/periodicals/journals in which researchers announce/publish their work.  These articles announce the results of new research, review previous published research and examine different theoretical viewpoints.  Academic journals provide valuable up-to-date information.  Most of the articles are “peer reviewed” which means experts in the field or “senior academics” review the article before it is published to ensure that the quality of the article is guaranteed. 

Academic journals are however not suitable for all types of information.  If you need an introduction to a subject area or a broad overview of a specific topic, books generally have the advantage and are better suited to the broader understanding of subjects.

A typical citation will look like this:   Zinn, R. (2012). Framework for an effective community safety network. ACTA CRIMINOLOGICA, 25(2), 50-68.

Authors. (Date). Title of article. TITLE OF JOURNAL, Volume(issue number), page numbers of article.

Academic Journals can be found either in printed or in electronic format. Printed journals can be found on the second floor of the Ferdinand Postma library.  Electronic journals can be found in journal databases to which the library subscribes.  To learn more about the electronic journals click on the e-Journal tab.

Accredited journals are a South African research phenomenon.  The Department of Education wanted to raise the quality of research in South Africa.  They decided to recommend specific peer-reviewed International and South African journals for publication.  As a further incentive, the Department of Education subsidises every article published in these journals.  These journals are subsequently known as accredited journals.

A list of all Accredited Journals can be found here.