Journals and periodicals are two highly used sources of information - both in daily life and in research. A periodical is any source of information published on a regular, recurring basis. Examples of periodicals include newspapers, magazines, newsletters, and journals. A journal is a type of periodical which contains a variety of content (e.g. poems, articles, essays, prose) from multiple writers or contributors. In a library setting, there are two main types of journals:
- Scholarly Journals
These journals contain peer-reviewed research articles written by scholars and experts in various disciplines. The purpose of scholarly articles is to share new knowledge, research, or advances within a particular field of study. In other words, scholarly articles are written by scholars for scholars. Learn more about what distinguishes a scholarly article from other types of publications in the VoiceThread presentation below.
- Trade Journals
Trade journals contain "popular" articles - in other words, articles that have not undergone a formal peer review process. Trade journals generally aim to provide up-to-date information on a specific trade or industry, including - but not limited to - the automotive industry, marketing and advertising, the health professions, academia, the gaming industry, etc. Though articles in trade journals are not peer-reviewed, they are often written by industry experts or specialists and, therefore, contain valuable industry information.
You have access to electronic articles from both scholarly and trade journals through the INSPIRE and USI databases listed below.
