Which Science Magazine/journal is the best?

Question

I want to get a science journal/magazine subscription that has real science in it not just stuff for the average joe. I herd Scientific America is like just targeting general readers now. I want to like expand my scientific understanding and stuff. Here is the list I have come up with so far, which do you think is the best?

Science(journal) [http://www.sciencemag.org/]

Nature(journal) [http://www.nature.com/nature/index.html]

Science News (magazine) [http://www.sciencenews.org/]

Popular Science (magazine) [http://www.popsci.com/]

Scientific America (magazine) [http://www.sciam.com/]

Any input would be great!!!!!!!

Answer 1

I highly recommend PNAS, or "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences".   "Science" lately has been edging towards simlifications for the benefit of the casual reader, but so far Proceedings has been doings pretty well at avoiding that.  

It does depend on your interests, though.  PNAS seems to go in phases, with one particular issue focusing on one aspect of study/research, but if you're subscribing long-term (i.e. a year or two) then you'll really benefit hugely from this journal.

Hope this helps!

Answer 2

It really depends on your interests. Journals tend to be much more focused on specific topics, with the exception of the "big" ones that you mentioned (Science, Nature, and a few others). They're also *quite* expensive, unless you have access to them through your local library/university. Try visiting a few of their websites and check out their topics before you buy a subscription. Often, a selection of recently published articles are available for free to the public.

Magazine are cheaper, and yes, they are written more for a general audience. But they tend to bring a variety of subjects under one cover. They can be an excellent place to start, as often the articles are interpreted from current research and recently published journal articles. You could always go look up the research later if you wanted more information.

I have a few other big ones to recommend, depending on your interests:

Cell (very bio-oriented and they publish a lot of sub-journals)

PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)

PLoS (*free* public access from the Library of Medicine, but large variety of topics)

JAMA or Lancet (for medicine)

Answer 3

It really depends on your background in the subjects.  Nature and Science are the top peer-reviewed journals in the country, with major discoveries from current research, but can be quite technical.  They're supposed to be not as technical as the top journals in specific fields - such as top medical or physics journals - but can still be hard to understand if you don't have a background in science (say, a PhD in something).

I'm not familiar with Science News, but Popular Science and Scientific American not only have some new research, but more general reviews of some fields as well as speculative articles about possible upcoming accomplishments (time travel, quantum computing, etc).

Maybe it would help if you could pick a specific field?  For example, Physics Today is a good source for physicists, both PhD and at the beginning undergraduate level - it has summaries of new research and interesting developments but is written so that most people with a few physics courses behind them can understand it.

Or you could subscribe to http://www.arxiv.org , which has most of the new papers that will appear / have appeared in peer-reviewed journals in the more technical sciences; and is free, unlike the actual journals which can cost hundreds of dollars or more a year to subscribe to.

Answer 4

It depends on your background. From least to most technical, I would rank them: Pop. Sci., Sci. News, Sci. Amer., Science, and Nature.

The only general science publication I get is American Scientist but you have to be nominated to join the Society of the Sigma Xi to get it.

I suggest that you go to libraries to read copies of the publications you mention to see what you can understand and what is of interest. You may have to go to a college or museum library to find Nature.