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LESSON 6 - PERIODICALS AND PERIODICAL INDEXES 

LESSON 6 CONTENTS:

Lesson Six Exercise


II. TYPES OF PERIODICALS

There are 5 types of periodicals:

1) Scholarly and Research Journals
2) Professional Magazines and Journals
3) Magazines and Journals of Commentary and Opinion
4) Popular Magazines and News Magazines
5) Newspapers

Let’s examine each.

  • Scholarly and Research Journals – specialized publications intended for scholars and students of a particular discipline or subject. Usually published monthly or quarterly, these publications often have words such as these in their title:

Studies in
Review
Annals
Quarterly
Journal
Advances

Here are some examples of scholarly journal titles:

Studies in European History
American Historical Review
Annals of Internal Medicine
Quarterly Review of Film Studies
Journal of the American Medical Association
Advances in Biochemistry


CAUTION: A periodical that has the word “journal” in its title is not necessarily a scholarly journal. For example, Ladies Home Journal is not a scholarly journal, even though the term appears in its title.


Journal of Health Policy, Politics, and Law -- a scholarly journal

Articles in scholarly journals are written by highly educated people (often holding Master’s or PhD degrees) who are often experts, practitioners and teachers in specialized academic fields. They write articles as a way to communicate with other scholars and add to the knowledge base of their discipline, always carefully citing their sources in footnotes and/or bibliographies. Often, they are reporting the results of original research or experimentation.

Many scholarly journals will not publish an article until it has been reviewed by an editorial board to insure that it meets certain standards of scholarly quality. A publication that requires this formal review is known as a refereed journal, and sometimes teachers will require you to find articles from such journals. (Another term for refereed journal is peer-reviewed journal. “Peer-reviewed” implies that one’s scholarly peers review your work. Both terms mean the same thing.)

Articles in scholarly publications can be challenging to read because they’re not usually intended for the general public or those unfamiliar with the subject.

  • Professional Magazines and Journals – publications that report on news and developments in a particular profession, academic field, trade, or industry. Unlike scholarly journals, they do not publish original research. Instead, they concentrate on news and trends in a particular profession or industry. Examples include:


    American Psychologist (covers the psychology profession)
    American Music Teacher (covers the music teaching profession)
    Legal Assistant Today (covers the legal assistant profession)

    California Apparel News (covers the clothing industry)
    Automotive News (covers the automotive industry)
    PC Week (covers the computing industry)

    Paper Trade Journal (covers a specific trade)


    The American Journalism Review –a professional journal

  • Magazines and Journals of Commentary and Opinion – offer analysis, commentary, and investigative reporting on social and political issues. These publications typically view the world from either a politically liberal, moderate, or conservative stance. They sometimes serve as the official “voice” of an activist organization. Examples include:

    LIBERAL MODERATE CONSERVATIVE
    Monthly Review
    Mother Jones
    World Marxist Review
    The Progressive
    New Republic
    Maclean’s
    Economist
    CATO Journal
    American Rifleman
    National Review
    National Right to Life News


    National Review -- a magazine of commentary and opinion

  • Popular Magazines and News Magazines -- commercial publications intended for the general reader.

    Popular magazines focus on popular culture, i.e. entertainment, cultural trends, sports, hobbies, etc.

    News magazines report on national and international current events, social and political trends, public opinion, and popular culture. They often offer valuable explanations and interpretations of events both at home and abroad.


Vibe -- a popular magazine

Newsweek -- a news magazine

  • Newspapers – daily publications that provide local, national, and international news, editorials, entertainment, advertising and other sorts of practical information.


    The Wall Street Journal --a daily newspaper

Given below is a table summarizing the main features of the 5 types of periodicals:

  Scholarly and Research Journals Professional Magazines and Journals
Magazines and Journals of Commentary and Opinion
Popular Magazines and News Magazines




Newspapers



Content
Reports of original research; previous research often cited;
In-depth analysis intended to advance thinking in a field and further scholarly communication; articles are peer-reviewed
News and developments in a profession, academic field, trade or industry
Analysis, commentary and investigative reporting on social and political issues. Sometimes serve as the official voice of a politically active group
Popular culture, hot topics, current events, public opinion, etc.
Local, national, international news, editiorials, entertainment, adverstising, etc.
Authors Researchers, experts, professors, scholars
Practitioners in the field or journalists with subject expertise Academics, journalists, representatives of various groups Journalists Journalists and freelance writers
Language Formal, academic language of the discipline. Specialized, technical language. Extensive use of jargon used by practitioners Formal, but usually non-technical. Non-technical language. Tends to be written in an informal or entertaining style.
Non-technical language.
Intended audience Scholars, researchers, college students People in the profession or industry or those seeking employment in those industries General audience General audience General audience
Documentation Extensive footnotes and bibliographies Occasional documentation; sources sometimes cited in text Occasional documentation; sources sometimes cited in text Sources mentioned, but rarely give formal documentation Sources mentioned, but rarely give formal documentation
Peer-reviewed Yes No Possibly No
No
Publisher Universities, scholarly presses, research organizations
Professional and trade associations; commercial publishers Commerical publishers or non-profit organizations Commericial publishers
Commericial publishers
Indexed in Subject periodical indexes; general periodical indexes Subject periodical indexes; general periodical indexes
General periodical indexes

General periodical indexes
Newspaper indexes; general periodical indexes
Examples * Journal of
African History
* Nature
* American Historical Review
* Current Studies in Anthropology
* American Journalist
* Hospital Practice
* Studio Potter
* Poets and Writers Magazine
* National Review
* The Atlantic
* Mother Jones
* New Republic
* Newsweek
* Time
* People
* Sports Illustrated
* New York Times
* Washington Post
* SF Chronicle
* Los Angeles Times