Penn State University Libraries - Articles

In this tutorial, we use the term "article" to refer to periodical articles.

What is a periodical?
Anything that is published periodically, or on an ongoing basis. But let's get more precise:

Types of Periodicals*
There are three basic types of periodicals: popular (magazines and newspapers), scholarly, and trade.
Check with your instructor to see which you are expected to use for a particular assignment.

• Designed for broad appeal
  
  
• Relatively short articles written in nontechnical language.
  
  
• Easy to understand
  
  
• Focus on current events
  
  
• Usually published weekly or monthly
  
  
• Something you might subscribe to yourself or read in the doctor's office
  
  
• Examples: Time, Newsweek, Ebony, The Advocate
  
  

• Short articles written in nontechnical language
  
  
• Usually published daily or weekly
  
  
• Local, national, and international news.
  
  
• Examples: New York Times, Miami Herald
  
  

• Written by experts in a field for the benefit of other people in that field rather than a general readership
  
  
• Writing is technical and complex
  
  
• Provide research articles on specific topics
  
  
• Include extensive bibliographies to show research trail
  
  
• Usually published monthly, quarterly, semiannually, or annually.
  
  
• Examples: Journal of Professional Nursing, Early American Studies, KronoScope
  
  

• Written by professionals in a field for the benefit of other people in that field
  
  
• Writing is informative, sometimes technical
  
  
• Provide articles on best practices and emerging products, theories, and industry standards.
  
  
• A good networking tool for information about leaders in the field, conferences, and publications.
  
  
• Usually published monthly, quarterly, semiannually, or annually.
  
  
• Examples: Journal of Light Construction, American Libraries, OT Practice
  
  

* Information on this page adapted from:
Bolner, Myrtle S. and Gayle A. Poirier. The Research Process: Books and Beyond. 2nd ed. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt, 2001. p. 205.

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