What is an informative article?
Answer
Informative articles can be easily differentiated from research articles. While they may be found in scholarly journals, informative articles are more often found in topical or general interest magazines that are not peer reviewed. They may contain glossy photos or give advice to readers. By contrast, we know that research studies typically contain headings such as:
- Objectives/Aims
- Methods
- Data Analysis
- Results
- Conclusions
Informative articles will often refer to research studies to support their report on a given topic ("In recent studies conducted by both Johns Hopkins and the University of Maryland . . ."). In this case, the authors of the article have not performed the research themselves, they are merely quoting findings from someone else's primary research.
For example, an informative article may promote the benefits of drinking orange juice, while a primary research article might provide a first-hand report on a study that noted a correlation between orange juice consumption and the reduction of kidney stones.