Newspapers and popular magazines can provide useful news items and commentary on events and research findings. In addition many highly regarded journalists write for more ‘serious’ newspapers and popular magazines such as New Statesman and The Economist, but the audience aimed at is the general public rather than the academic community, and articles are not independently verified by the peer-review process.
So, although the popular press can be an excellent source of background information, written with the lay person in mind, it does not include the depth of coverage that an academic researcher would need. For in-depth examination of a topic, academic journals should be your first choice.
