Family Articles in Popular Magazines: Advice to Writers, Editors, and Teachers of Consumers

Abstract

Millions of Americans are exposed each month to articles on the family in such magazines as Family Circle, Good Housekeeping, Ladies' Home Journal, Mademoiselle, McCalls, Parents' Magazine, Redbook, and Woman's Day. In 1968, the total circulation of these eight publications exceeded 40,000,000 (White, 1970). Many social scientists deplore popularization, avoid reading popularized articles or assigning them to their students, refuse to be quoted in such articles, or feel great distress when they are quoted. Yet popularization seems here to stay. However imperfect, it may be the principal means by which family theory and research findings are transmitted to the public. A more useful and realistic approach than deploring or ignoring popularization is to help writers and editors toward higher standards in popularization and to help teachers and other professionals to educate consumers of articles to differentiate between better articles and poorer ones. We agree with Burr (1973) and Burr, Mead, and Rollins (1973) that theory