With a computer, tablet or Smartphone and an internet connection, you can access a vast array of academic journal databases and electronic material. They say information is power and what better way to empower yourself than with digital information sourced from academic journals.

Why should you use academic journals for your research?

There’s a long list of advantages associated with drawing research information from academic journals online. And while everything has its pros and cons, the pros of using academic journals for research purposes far outweigh the cons. The following are some of the distinct advantages of using these excellent information sources for your research:

1. They are highly credible.

For authors to publish academic journals online, they are required to verify their information sources through links and citations. Mere personal opinions without proper, factual backup are not admissible. This makes online academic journals entirely credible and authoritative because you can verify the facts from their original sources. This, in turn, influences your work’s overall quality, making it reliable also, as well as enriched with facts and truths.

1. They offer clarity.

Scholarly articles attempt to discuss and outline the merits of other explanations and viewpoints which are in contrast to their views. They do not seek to justify their own opinions and conclusions as the only credible truths, but rather acknowledge the contrasting opinions as credible too and then clarify why they draw different conclusions. This helps you understand the pros and cons of the claims expressed in the journals, from more than one author’s viewpoint.

1. They offer evidence for their claims.

Authors of online academic journals are required to provide proof that supports their claims by referencing the sources of their information. This helps you access the truth, and you can draw your own conclusions if you don’t agree with the authors. You can also tell where they borrowed their school of thoughts from and clarify anything you don’t understand.

1. Research options.

Academic journals online come with several research options, which helps widen your scope. They allow you to explore both quantitative and qualitative research, for optimum results. With both, you can analyze statistical data, opinions, verbal data, etc. This gives you a wider range of information to work with, and you can, therefore, perform a comprehensive research from academic journals. You know that to write a high-quality paper you must lay a strong foundation for it through thorough, in-depth research, right? So these options allow you to conduct proper research so you can craft a paper worth its salt.

1. Provides case studies.

Academic journals include real life case studies which are excellent sources of in-depth information and knowledge. By following case studies, you can apply your wealth of knowledge to real life situations and play scenarios out in your mind for better understanding. Doing this helps you to get a better grasp of the concepts and ideas with which you’re working. From case studies, you can form your hypothesis as a researcher.

1. Provides great reading with a wealth of knowledge.

Academic journals promote active reading and provoke deep thinking. They offer a wealth of knowledge which comes critiqued and forces you to critique it also. When you’re presented with so many facts in one single source, you’re prompted to seek out their sources to verify whether they’re true. They also drive your zeal to write enriching work. All these sharpen your authority with your chosen topics.

1. Focused research.

Online journals are like encyclopedias, offering information in large quantities to scholars. There’s a wide variety of databases to source information from, but it’s so much easier to access this information online because all you need is a computer and internet. Narrowing your search to a focused angle then becomes easier because all you need is to type in specific keyword phrases and you’ll get thousands of search results in just a few seconds.

1. Freedom to collect journals.

Unlike in the print copies days when you could only access information physically in libraries, academic journals online come with the option of free downloads which allow you to save material to your PC or Smartphone. Doing this allows you to access information even in the absence of internet, and you can build your journal library on your computer. Even if you have to buy a journal or two, they’re quite a worthwhile investment. You cannot put a price tag on knowledge, can you?

1. Broadened perspective.

Academic journals are a collection of thoughts and opinions by their authors who, after conducting researches and analyses, pen down their thoughts and finding in journals. And just like talking to different people about a certain topic broadens your perspective on the topic, so does reading the thoughts and conclusions of different authors. Journals help you view topics from many different angles, hence formulating your individual opinion and conclusion.

1. Information comes in many forms.

Most articles contained in journals include graphs, tables, images & photographs, videos, etc., which help illustrate the information being portrayed. Journals also come in many downloadable forms such as pdf, html, etc. You don’t have to limit yourself to plain text or reading materials. Some journals are even in the form of cds, and you can listen to them while you drive.

Due to the high-quality information contained in journals which are enriched with facts and truths, you’re bound to get rave ratings from your lecturers if you use academic journals online for your scholarly research. Internet and technology have become widely available the whole world over so that most people can access e-journals for research. Do not be left behind. Join the bandwagon and use academic journals online for all your education needs.