A periodical is a type of publication that appears at regular, predictable, short intervals. They include such items as magazines, scholarly or professional journals, industry/trade journals, newspapers, and newsletters.
When doing research, it is important to understand the differences between popular/general interest magazines, scholarly/professional journals, and industry/trade journals. Click on the links below to see an explanation of each type.
Often, an instructor will specify that you limit your research to scholarly or professional journals. If, after checking the descriptions above, you are still uncertain as to the category of the journal you are using, please ask a reference librarian for help in making this determination.
The Ebsco and Gale databases include a check box to limit your search, in most cases, to articles that have been published in scholarly or professional journals by checking the box to limit your search to "peer reviewed" or "refereed publications."
To assist you in identifying scholarly/professional journals as opposed to magazines, check out this quick magazine/journal comparison chart.
Popular/General Interest Magazines
The term magazine is usually applied to popular or consumer type publications that are generally for sale on newsstands.
- audience: presentation style is aimed at general public
- authorship: usually written by journalists or staff writers; the author's name may or may not be noted
- documentation: there is usually no documentation of sources such as notes, footnotes, or bibliographies
- review process: articles printed in magazines are reviewed only by the editorial staff of the publication itself and not by any outside body
- appearance: magazines are usually printed on slick, glossy paper and contain both black & white and color pictures and photographs
- advertisements:numerous advertisements are included
- publishers: commercial publishers
- frequency: usually weekly, monthly, or bi-monthly
- examples: Time, Newsweek, Sports Illustrated, National Geographic
Scholarly/Peer Reviewed/Professional Journals
Scholarly journals publish original research in the sciences and social sciences, and essays, criticism, and
reviews in the humanities. They are subject specific in focus, are written
for the use of scholars, and are seldom sold by the issue on newsstands.
- audience: scholars, researchers, students, professors and instructors
- authorship: authors are experts or researchers in the specific field addressed; author names are noted, often with an indication as to their credentials
- documentation: articles contain extensive documentation including notes and bibliographies
- review process: articles are refereed or peer reviewed by an outside body of experts in the specific field covered
- appearance: scholarly journals are seldom printed on slick or glossy paper and are plain and conservative in appearance; they contain few, if any, pictures or photographs, though graphs and diagrams are used often
- advertisements: there is little or no advertising
- publishers: usually, though not always, published by professional organizations or academic institutions
- frequency: usually quarterly, semi-annually, or even annually
- examples: Journal of Applied Psychology, Political Science Quarterly, Modern Fiction Studies
Industry/Trade
Journals
Industry or trade journals contain articles
concerning a specific industry. These publications are usually sold
only by subscription, though some can be found for sale on the
newsstand.
- audience: intended to inform those involved in a specific industry or trade
- authorship: written by journalists, staff writers, or others in the field being addressed; the author's name may or may not be noted
- documentation: generally no documentation of sources such as notes, footnotes, or bibliographies
- review process: articles are usually only reviewed in-house and not by any outside body
- appearance: trade magazines are usually printed on slick, glossy paper and contain both black & white and color pictures and photographs
- advertisements: numerous advertisements are included
- publishers: most are published by associations, though some are published by commercial publishers
- frequency: usually weekly, monthly, or bi-monthly
- examples: Advertising Age, Publishers' Weekly, American Teacher, American Libraries
