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.
Popular Magazines
- 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
Newspapers
- Short articles written in nontechnical language
- Usually published daily or weekly
- Local, national, and international news.
- Examples: New York Times, Miami Herald
Scholarly Journals
- 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
Trade Magazines
- 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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