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 PERIODICALS: POPULAR & SCHOLARLY
- What is a periodical? A periodical is a publication with multiple articles which appears more than once, on a regular basis. Many topics require the use of periodical articles and they are the best source of information for their currency.
- There are three major types of periodicals: magazines, scholarly journals and newspapers. Being aware of the different types helps you select the most appropriate one for your research needs The distinguishing features of each are outlined below in a chart. Magazines and newspapers are sometimes referred to as popular material, because they are written for a general audience.
- Scholarly periodicals have distinguishing features:
- a. length of article
b. author
c. publication
CHARACTERISTICS OF PERIODICALS |
POPULAR |
SCHOLARLY |
NAME: What type of periodical? |
Magazine, Newspaper |
Journal |
AUTHOR: Who writes an article published in the periodical? |
Journalist, Reporter, Writer |
Scholar, Expert, Researcher, Scientist |
AUDIENCE: Who is the intended reader or buyer of the periodical? |
General Public, Everyone |
Scholar, Expert, Researcher, Scientist, College Student, Graduate Student |
ARTICLE LENGTH: Generally how long is a feature article? |
Short, One to Five pages |
Long; Ten pages or more |
FREQUENCY: How often is the periodical published? |
Daily, Weekly, Monthly |
Per Year: Annual (1), Semi-Annual (2), Quarterly (4), Monthly (10-12) |
APPROVAL PROCESS: Who approves a manuscript before it is actually published?
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Editor or a few Editors
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Peers or Referees; other Scholars, Experts, Researchers, Scientists who serve as readers to review manuscripts before they are accepted for publication; most journals have such a process, those which do are are called Peer-Reviewed or Refereed |
LANGUAGE: Is the writing at a high or low reading level? |
Common Language, Everyday Language; 6th to 8th Grade Reading Level |
Higher level reading; Detail oriented, with language which is Sophisticated, Specialized, Technical |
SUPPORTING MATERIALS: Does an article routinely have a list of sources at the end of the article which the writer consulted? |
Pictures, Illustrations, Graphics
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Scholarly Apparatus: footnotes, endnotes, bibliography, reading or reference list, charts, graphs, tables |
ACCESSIBILITY: How easy or difficult is it to obtain or access the periodical? Where is it accessed? |
Easy to access; Newstand, Deli, Grocery Store, Bodega, Supermarket |
Purchase at bookstore, e.g. Barnes & Noble; Academic or Research Library, sometimes Public Library |
COST: How much does the periodical cost? Expensive or inexpensive? |
For Profit, but Inexpensive |
Non-Profit, but Expensive |
Courtesy, Prof. James Mellone |
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 Examples of magazines include: Time, Newsweek and Sports Illustrated
 Examples of newspapers are:
The New York Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal
 Examples of scholarly journals are:
American Historical Review, Social Psychology Quarterly and The Art Bulletin
When writing a research paper, it is acceptable to use some popular material, such as magazine and newspaper articles, but your paper should not be based solely on popular literature sources.
If our library doesn’t own an article online, we may have a print equivalent. |
