What is the difference between a journal article and a newspaper article?

Question

My teacher gave me an assignment to summarize 5 journal articles in the subject of social sciences, but I'm confused as to what she meant. Please help !

Answer 1

Newspapers = general mass-market medium, studying a wide range of topics but none in any real depth. Essentially, they're what you buy in your average high-street outlet to read at breakfast or on the train.

Journals = specialist publication, often held in high regard by the academic community, often peer-reviewed. Only studies a narrow topic but analyses it on a much deeper level. Rarely sold in shops, most often bought through subscription by academic institutions such as universities and libraries.

Answer 2

learned publications concentrating on one subject, usually people have to subscribe to them and they often link to various professions, i.e. "the lancet", "nursing times", "the police review".

Answer 3

An article contributed in Journal is essentially based on research giving citations wherever needed supported by footnotes. Moreover articles in Journal are assessed by the editorial board of the Journal and is allowed publication only if the Board believes that it has substantial information and conforms to the requirement of journal. Further one can cite articles from Journals as an authentic piece of information.  I may further add that the language applied in the articles contributed in journal is not journalese but the typical language of the subject. For instance if the article is on some topic of Chemistry terms usually employed in chemistry are used with an understanding that the reader is well aware of the meaning and connotation of the terminology used.

Unlike Journal the articles contributed in newspapers are not specifically research oriented articles. The language is simple and direct. The author need not identify the works which have been relied upon. Sometimes moral rights are also not taken stock of and no authenticity can be attached to the facts narrated in article in news paper.Article may be full of exaggeration and personal views and further the element of bias cannot be ruled out.