Periodicals are often divided into two major categories: magazines or journals.
The ALA Glossary of Library Terms defines a magazine as,
A journal is defined as,
"a periodical issued by an institution, corporation, of learned society, containing current news and reports of activities and work in a particular field."
Beyond such definitions there are a number of ways to tell the difference between these two types of periodicals. Remember, however, that the distinctions will not always be clear, so the following points are offered as a guide to assist you in selecting periodicals for your research.
| Magazines | Journals | |
| To provide articles generally designed to inform or entertain and to sell advertising |
Purpose |
To present the results of original research and news to scholars or professionals in given areas |
| A mass audience or a general readership |
Audience |
Intended for specialized readers who are scholars or professionals |
| Designed to be attractive and appealing with much use of color, graphics, and illustrations |
Format |
Has a plain appearance. May contain graphs, charts, or tables, which are usually in black and white |
| Presented in a non-technical easy to read style which can be understood by anyone with a high school level reading ability |
Style |
The quality of the style varies and ranges from the plodding and the pedantic to the lucid and enlightening. Comprehension requires the reader's full attention |
| Authors are often staff writers or freelancers and professionals writing to make money. These authors usually write articles on a range of subjects for a number of magazines |
Authors |
Writers are creditable scholars of professionals in a specialized field. They publish to share findings and to promote their academic and professional standing. Often they are unpaid for articles. |
| Magazines are produced by commercial publishers. Occasionally some may be put out by a professional association |
Publishers |
Most journals are published by or in association with an academic institution or a professional organization |
| Most magazines are published either monthly or weekly. Rarely would a popular periodical come out less than once a month except during the summer |
Frequency |
Journals usually come out monthly, quarterly, or even annually. They are not published weekly. |
| Advertisements promoting a wide variety of products and services are found in magazines. These ads are professionally produced and frequently appear in color |
Advertising |
Journals contain little or no advertising. Ads which so appear either directly relate to the reader's scholarly/professional interests or are job announcements |
| Most magazines do not note their sources |
Citations |
Sources are cites in journals by footnotes and/or bibliographies |
| Articles in magazines may be found in databases such as Readers Guide Abstracts |
Indexing |
Scholarly journals are indexed in many different types of sources ranging from PsycLit to Biological Sciences |
| Time, US News & World Report, PC Magazine, Business Week, Ms, Scientific American, etc. |
Examples |
New England Journal of Medicine, American Politics Quarterly, Journal of Religion, Educational Researcher, Developmental Psychology |
Content Contact: Lori
Ricigliano
rev. October 2001