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Periodicals

Periodicals are all the various types of publications that are produced on a regular schedule - Journals, Magazines, Newspapers, etc.


Journals

  • a collection of articles or other material such as reports, proceedings, or transactions issued by a society, an organization, or an institution
  • typically published on a monthly, quarterly, or yearly schedule
  • report original research or experimentation and are focused on a particular field (business, history, nursing, etc.)
  • are written by and for scholars in the field
  • use terminology (words, jargon, buzzwords) that is familiar to professionals in the field
  • use a plain format, and there may be photographs, graphs, or charts that refer back to the information being discussed
  • cite sources, usually in the form of footnotes, end notes, or bibliographies.
  • many scholarly journals are also refereed or peer reviewed journals
  • examples include: Academy of Management Journal, Applied Psycholgoy in Criminal Justice, and American Journal of Nursing

Refereed or Peer Reviewed

  • Peer-reviewed and refereed are synonyms. In peer-reviewed journals, articles are examined by experts in the field to determine their merit.
  • These experts read the work and determine the accuracy of statements made, citations, etc.
  • Peer reviewed journals are often scholarly in nature, but may also be trade journals and reviewed by people who work in a particular field – chemistry, automotive, etc.


Magazines

  • publications containing a variety of articles generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, or both Magazines are typically published on a weekly or monthly schedule.
  • Examples include: Newsweek, Business Week, Fortune, and Time.

Newspapers

  • serial publications issued either daily, on certain days of the week, or weekly
  • contain news, editorial comment, regular columns, letters to the editor, cartoons, advertising, and other items of current and often local interest to a general readership
  • Examples include: The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times and The Asheboro Courier-Tribune.


Trade publications

  • intended for people who work in a particular industry
  • do not tend to be scholarly in nature, but will use terminology (words, jargon, buzzwords) that are familiar to people who work in a particular field
  • Examples include:  Police Chief, Outdoor Photographer, and Architectural Digest.