texts from book and articles form a journal

[halmom]

To write an academic essay, you have to read a lot. In such case, what do you call the materials you have read? For example, you have read something in the book or you have read someting from academic journal or you have read something on the internet. Then, what do you call each thing you read? Can I say just text? or article'?


I have read five texts from books.

I have read five articles from journals.

I have read 2 texts from the internet.

 

[sdgraham]

What you call such things can depend on what you mean by "call?"

Are you listing them in your academic paper?

Are you talking about them over a beer with a friend?

Are you writing something informally via e-mail?

(This is part of the context we need to answer your question)

Note that "read texts from books" is not English.

 

[halmom]

I am asking about a vocabulary that is appropriate for each context.
For exmaple, if you have five academic journals, can I say that I have read five articles? Of If I have read some informations posted on the internet for my research paper, can I say I've read 3 texts which I found on the internet? What do you say ? Very confused.

 

[sdgraham]

We do not read "texts" unless they're on a mobile telephone. (As previously mentioned)

We do not say "I read it on the Internet," since we would be laughed out of town because the Internet is loaded with nonsense. Be specific as to the site and author.

We do not say "Informations." Information is not countable.

No matter where you find them, "articles" works well. If you're talking about an entire book, just say "book."

 

[lucas-sp]

Articles published in journals (whether you access them online or in print) are called journal articles. The various services that collect print journal articles and publish them online to subscribers are called scholarly journal archives.

When several different articles are collected and published in one book as different chapters, that book is called an edited volume and the chapters are essays or articles.

When one scholar writes several essays on one overarching subject and publishes it as a book, that book is (formally) called a monograph and informally called a book. If you only read one of the smaller essays (say, because that one is about the author you're researching, while the other chapters are not), then you call that text a chapter or an essay​.

 

[halmom]

Thanks very much. Your explanation was a great help. Thanks again

 

[Parla]

All the materials you consult in order to write something can be referred to as your sources. Consulting them is researching your subject.