Journals and magazines are important sources for up-to-date information in all disciplines. In this guide, periodical literature is divided into five categories:

• Scholarly
• Professional
• Substantive News or General Interest
• Popular
• Sensational

Definitions

• Webster's Third International Dictionary defines "scholarly" as:   Webster's defines "scholarly" as:
  • Concerned with academic study, especially research,
  • Exhibiting the methods and attitudes of a scholar, and
  • Having the manner and appearance of a scholar.
• Substantive is defined as having a solid base, being substantial.
• Popular means fit for, or reflecting the taste and intelligence of, the people at large.
• Sensational is defined as arousing or intending to arouse strong curiosity, interest or reaction.
• Keeping these definitions in mind, and realizing that none of the lines drawn between types of journals can ever be totally clear cut, the general criteria are as follows.

Scholarly

• Scholarly journals generally have a sober, serious look. They often contain many graphs and charts but few glossy pages or exciting pages.
• Scholarly journals always cite their sources in the form of footnotes or bibliographies.
• Articles are written by a scholar in the field or by someone who has done research in the field.
• The language of scholarly journals is that of the discipline covered. It assumes some scholarly background on the part of the reader.
• The main purpose of a scholarly journal is to report on original research or experimentation in order to make such information available to the rest of the scholarly world.
• Many scholarly journals, though by no means all, are published by a specific professional organization.

Examples of Scholarly Journals

• American Economic Review
• Archives of Sexual Behavior
• JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association
• Journal of Marriage and the Family(published by the National Council on Family Relations)
• Modern Fiction Studies

Professional

• Professional periodicals are written to inform people who need to keep up with news, commentary and analysis in their fields.
• Professional periodicals are written to inform people with occupational interest in news, commentary, and analysis of issues in their fields.

Examples of Professional Periodicals

• Women's Wear Daily
• Datamation
• Science Digest
• Law and Order
• Regan Report on Nursing Law
• Artnews
• Sales and Marketing Management

• These periodicals may be quite attractive in appearance, although some are in newspaper format. Articles are often heavily illustrated, generally with photographs.
• News and general interest periodicals sometimes cite sources, though more often do not.
• Articles may be written by a member of the editorial staff, a scholar, or a freelance writer.
• The language of these publications is geared to any educated audience. There is no specialty assumed, only interest and a certain level of intelligence.
• They are generally published by commercial enterprises or individuals, although some emanate from specific professional organizations.
• The main purpose of periodicals in this category is to provide information, in a general manner, to a broad audience of concerned citizens.

Examples of Substantive News or General Interest Periodicals

• Christian Science Monitor
• Economist
• National Geographic
• New York Times
• Scientific American
• Vital Speeches of the Day

• Popular periodicals come in many formats. They are slick and attractive in appearance and contain many graphics, photographs, drawings, etc.
• These publications rarely, if ever, cite sources. Information published is often second or third hand and the original source is sometimes obscure.
• Articles are usually very short, written in simple language and are designed to meet a minimal education level. There is general little depth to the content of these articles.
• The main purpose of popular periodicals is to entertain the reader, to sell products (their own or their advertisers) and/or to promote a viewpoint.

Examples of Popular Periodicals

• Ebony
• Parents
• People Weekly
• Readers Digest
• Sports Illustrated
• Time
• Vogue

• Sensational periodicals come in a variety of styles, but often use a newspaper format.
• Their language is elementary and occasionally inflammatory or sensational. They assume a certain gullibility in their audience.
• The main purpose of sensational magazines seems to be to arouse curiosity and to cater to popular superstitions. This is often accomplished using flashy headlines designed to astonish (e.g., Half-Man Half-Woman Makes Self Pregnant).

Examples of Sensational Periodicals

• Globe
• National Examiner
• Star
• Weekly World News