"Periodicals" is a general term used to refer to newspapers, magazines and journals (publications that are published "periodically".) In some libraries, especially larger research libraries, the term "serials" is used more commonly than "periodicals." "Serials" is a slightly broader category than "periodicals". Serials include all periodicals as well as any publications, such as proceedings of conferences, that are issued in successive parts over an indefinite period. Periodical articles are often the best source for finding the most current and concise information on a topic. A variety of different periodical articles can provide varied perspectives on a topic and can often provide references to additional information.

Newspapers provide first-hand accounts of current events in their news reports and, in editorials and opinion pieces, they present diverse points-of-view on controversial issues. First-hand accounts--descriptions of events by people with direct experience of those events-- or any other information in its original form are considered primary sources. Aside from news reports, other examples of primary sources include diaries, letters, interviews, original artwork, statistical data that has not been analyzed and the first report of a research study in a scientific journal. Any information that is a retelling, interpretation, analysis of a primary source--that is, it's something new that is based on reading or hearing a primary source--is termed secondary material.

The distinction between magazines and journals is not always very precise, but it is important to understand the general differences between these types of publications. Popular magazines (such as Time, Newsweek or Sports Illustrated) include those found on most newsstands, usually with flashy covers intended to entice a reader and commonly printed on glossy paper with many illustrations and photographs. Magazines are usually written by journalists for a fairly general audience so they are usually easier to read than journals, but the information they provide tends to be less detailed or authoritative. Articles in popular magazines usually report events, the author's opinion or simplified versions of the findings of others. Footnotes and bibliographies are rarely included in popular magazine articles. Browsing through popular magazines can sometimes be a useful method of finding an interesting topic for a research project. Articles in popular magazines usually provide some general overview information on current events, issues and trends.

Scholarly journals tend to be the most common sources of bibliographic research for serious researchers. These journals are usually oriented to students and professionals in a particular discipline and may be more difficult to understand for those who do not have some familiarity with the general field being discussed. Subject coverage tends to be more specialized and articles usually reflect the most recent research and important issues being discussed in a particular academic area. Scholarly journal articles usually review previous literature and report original research and almost always include extensive footnotes and bibliographies. Scholarly journal articles are often preceded by an abstract-- a brief summary of the article. Many scholarly journals are "refereed". Articles submitted for publication to a refereed journal are reviewed by an editorial board made up of scholars or authorities in the field to determine whether they are of high enough academic quality to be published.

Between popular magazines and scholarly journals are subject magazines (such as Scientific American or Smithsonian), professional journals (such as Anthropology Today or American Psychologist) and trade journals (such as Automotive News or PC Week). These types of publications sometimes look similar to popular magazines but they typically report on developments in a particular subject area, profession, trade or industry and are oriented to those who are either in the field or who have a particular interest in the subject matter. They differ from scholarly journals in that their articles do not usually include original research and, although they are often written by subject experts, the writing tends to be less complex and technical.

It is important to understand the use of each type of periodical in the research process.

Each type of literature has a function and value in research. Popular articles often make a good point of entry for research. They can provide a basic introduction to a topic, an overview that may suggest possible approaches to the subject, divergent points of view, and perhaps some color. The college-level researcher will go on to collect scholarly articles that offer more focused, in-depth, original, research-based information. Subject or professional magazines may serve both sets of functions and are particularly useful for research in scientific and technical areas in which the scholarly materials may be too specialized for undergraduates. They offer the authority of experts without the complexity of original research accounts.

To find articles on a specific topic in different periodicals, various types of periodical indexes are used. Periodical indexes list articles in a particular set of periodicals. Articles from one particular newspaper or magazine or from several thousand periodicals may be included in a single index. Articles may be accessed in a variety of ways by different indexes, but keywords and subject headings are most common. Figuring out the best subject headings to use in periodical indexes is often more difficult than in book catalogs because each index uses a different list of subject headings and those lists are not always published. (For a full explanation of the use of subject headings, see the reading "Subject Headings".) It can be helpful to be aware of the publisher of periodical indexes because different indexes published by the same publisher are often organized and used in very similar ways.

A wide variety of indexes are available in print, on CD-ROM and online. More and more periodical indexes are accessible through the World Wide Web. Some are freely available to everyone and some require the payment of a substantial subscription. Many libraries and schools have made arrangements with index publishers to allow their patrons or students to have online access to subscription-based periodical indexes through some type of password or other controlled-access system.

"General indexes" provide basic citations under subject headings and authors for articles in a wide range of popular magazines and larger subject magazines and professional journals. Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature (published by H.W. Wilson), available in print, CD-ROM and Web versions, is the oldest and most well-known general index, but there are a number of increasingly popular competitors in online periodical databases, including InfoTrac Academic ASAP and InfoTrac General Reference Center.

Readers' Guide (print version) is available at Skyline Library and most larger public libraries. InfoTrac Academic ASAP and InfoTrac General Reference Center (plus several other InfoTrac databases) are available at Skyline and all public libraries in San Mateo County and are also available on the World Wide Web at http://www.searchbank.com/searchbank/plan_skyline. (A library card from any San Mateo County community college or public library is required for access.)

"Abstracts" are indexes that include a brief summary-- called an "abstract"-- of each article following the basic citation. Each abstract is generally from a couple of sentences to a few paragraphs in length. Abstracts have probably been the most common type of periodical indexes used in scholarly research and include many varieties, from general to highly specialized subject coverage. Academic ASAP, General Reference Center and Readers' Guide Abstracts are general periodical databases which include abstracts for most articles and full-text for a selected percentage of the articles.

Full-text. More and more periodicals databases now include the full-text of the articles of many of the publications that they index. Full-text means the complete text of the articles are included, but not any pictures or other graphics. The Academic ASAP database, for example, now includes the full-text of the articles for about half of the publications it indexes.

Unlike books in a catalog, the periodicals included in indexes are not based on the holdings of a particular library. To find out which periodicals are carried by a particular library, you can use a "periodicals list" or "serials list". Some libraries include their periodicals in their main catalog, but many maintain a separate alphabetical list of periodical titles. These lists often indicate where each periodical is located in the library. In some libraries older copies of periodicals (called "back issues) are bound (like books) and are shelved in the regular stacks. In other libraries, back issues are kept in a separate periodicals section. Recent issues of periodicals ("current periodicals") are virtually always kept in a separate section. Many libraries also provide a subject list of their periodicals in addition to the titles list.

• Skyline College Library has a printed List of Periodical and Serials, available at the reference desk, which includes both an alphabetical and a subject listing of all the library's periodicals.
  
• The alphabetical listing for Skyline College Library's List of Periodical and Serials is also available on the Library's web page at: http://www.smcccd.cc.ca.us/smcccd/skyline/la/lib/skyperiod.html

To find out which periodicals are carried by various libraries in a particular area, you can refer to a "union list of periodicals", which includes all periodicals carried by a group of different libraries.

• A printed Union List of Periodicals for all of the libraries in the Peninsula Library System (San Mateo County public and community college libraries) is available at the Skyline College Library reference desk.
  
• The Melvyl California Periodicals database (part of the the University of California's Melvyl online library system) includes a union list of periodicals that lists the periodicals available in almost all California academic, public and medical libraries.

  To use the California Periodicals database to find which libraries in the Bay Area carry a specific periodical, follow these steps:

  • Link to Melvyl (http://www.melvyl.ucop.edu/)
  • From the "Choose a Database" scrollbar, select "Periodicals Titles"
  • Click on "Titles" button
  • Enter your periodical title in the "Title" box
  • From the "Location" scrollbar, scroll down to select "Greater Bay Area"
  • Click the "Submit Search" button
  • Click "Display" for any items found

Libraries' periodicals lists are also commonly available on most libraries' online catalogs. In some catalogs periodical titles are listed in the same index as book titles and in some catalogs periodical titles are listed in a separate indexes.

• To check if a periodical is available at San Francisco State University, search the "Title or Journal Title" index on the Investigator (SFSU's online catalog) Web site at http://opac.sfsu.edu/.
  

These materials may be used for educational purposes if you inform and credit the author and cite the source as: Skyline College Library. All commercial rights are reserved. To contact the author, send comments or suggestions to: Eric Brenner at brenner@smcccd.cc.ca.us