A journal is like an academic magazine where researchers publish articles about their findings. Each journal contains a collection of articles written by different authors and is published regularly to report on current research within a specific subject area.
At UCT Libraries, journals are available in both print and electronic format.
To find journals, use the Journal Search in Primo.
You can search by journal title, ISSN, or keywords to locate and access the journal you need.
A book is usually a longer and more comprehensive text that covers a subject in detail. It may take years to write and publish, and often provides an in-depth overview or background on a topic.
A journal article, on the other hand, is shorter and focuses on a specific aspect or research question. Journal articles are published more frequently and therefore tend to contain the most up-to-date research findings.
Journals are more current than books, as new issues are published regularly.
Most journal articles are peer-reviewed, meaning they have been evaluated by other researchers for quality and accuracy — making them more reliable than general web pages or news articles.
They are shorter and more focused, making them quicker to read when you need recent or specific information.