Periodicals: Periodicals Home

1. Report original research, discoveries or experimentation
2. Are written by and for scholars and researchers in the field, and aimed at scholarly readers such as professors, scientists, and advanced students
3. Use terminology, jargon and the language of the discipline
4. Cite sources and provide footnotes and/or bibliographies
5. Are often peer reviewed by an editor or specialists in the field for accuracy
6. Often contain graphs, statistics, case studies
7. Are often published by academic or association presses
8. Contain selective advertising
9. Attribute authorship to one or more persons
10. Examples: Journal of American History, Alcohol & Alcoholism, American Literature

 PROFESSIONAL / TRADE MAGAZINES

1. Focus on a specific profession or industry
2. Articles are written for professional or trade-associated audiences by scholars, freelance writers, or magazine staff
3. Use terminology, jargon and the language of the discipline
4. Are published by professional or trade associations
5. Articles occasionally cite sources
6. Articles may include photographs, illustrations, industry-specifics statistics, and information
7. Examples: Police Chief, American City & County, Modern Machine Shop

1. Articles provide general information to a wide, interested audience
2. Articles are written for an educated, general audience either by the magazine's staff, a scholar, or free-lance writers
3. Include photographs, illustrations and graphics to enhance appeal.
4. Are generally published by commercial enterprises for profit
5. Use language appropriate for an educated readership. They do not emphasize a specialty but do assume a certain level of intelligence
6. Occasionally cite sources, but this is the exception not the rule
7. Contain advertising
8. Generally are published by commercial enterprises for profit
9.  Examples: Newsweek, Time, Business Week, U.S. News, Economist

1. Articles are written and designed to entertain or persuade
2. Articles are usually written for a general audience
3. Articles tend to be short
4. Use simple language in order to meet a minimum education level
5. Articles rarely cite sources or contain a bibliography
6. Are published by commercial, for-profit presses
7. Contain many photographs and illustrations to enhance appeal
8. May contain extensive advertising
9. Examples: Reader’s Digest, People Weekly, GQ, Vogue, Sports Illustrated

NEWSPAPERS

1. Articles are written and designed to entertain, persuade or inform
2. Local newspapers are usually written for a general audience with a minimal reading level, while subject newspapers are usually written for an audience with a much higher reading level
3. Articles rarely cite sources or contain a bibliography
4. Frequently general articles are unsigned, or anonymous
5. Contain photos and illustrations to enhance appeal, with extensive advertising
6. Usually published on large sheets of newsprint
7. Issues are often published daily or weekly – being up-to-date is the goal
8. More and more newspapers are published in an e-format, even e-only
9. Examples: New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today