Periodical Type Chart
Use this chart to determine what type of periodical you are looking at. Not all periodicals of a type will fit all categories the same. Check out the resources on the right to narrow your search to a periodical type.
| Scholarly | Trade | Popular | News | |
| Example | Journal of Power Sources | American Management Association Quarterly | People | Forbes |
| Cover/ Table of contents | Scholarly journal’s cover and pages are usually plain in design. Journal title may include terms such as "journal," "review," or "bulletin" |
Contents sometimes listed on cover. Relevant content or images on cover. |
Slick and attractive in appearance, printed on glossy paper | Slick and attractive in appearance, printed on glossy paper |
| Articles | Authors always cite their sources using footnotes and/or a bibliography use specific terminology, required by the field of knowledge they represent Articles may include these sections: abstract, literature review, methodology, results, conclusion, and bibliography |
Keeps professionals informed of what is happening in an industry Industry related news, product reviews, statistics, upcoming events References to sources might be included, but no abstracts |
accompanied with lots of photographs and eye-catching graphics rarely, if ever, cite their sources. They publish second- or third-hand information, without clearly stating the primary source language without specific terminology and are intended for general audience. They are designed to entertain, promote a viewpoint, or sell a product |
cover current and local events in a more timely manner Primary sources cited in text as interviews and quotes use simple language without specific terminology and are intended for general audience |
| Author information and affiliation | Articles are written by an expert in the field Authors use facts more than bias Peer review*: reviewed by peers for accuracy prior to publication |
Authors are professionals in the field Articles are reviewed by the employees of the publication Authors may be biased toward the industry ideals |
Editors on staff Authors are not always listed; credibility of information may not be substantiated Authors may be biased by publication |
Editors on staff Staff authors or reporters Authors may be biased by publication |
| Advertisements | Very few Relevant to discipline |
Glossy color photographs (illustrations) industry specific advertisements |
eye-catching graphics not topical to content |
eye-catching graphics not topical to content could be local to source origin |
| Pagination | Pages are consecutive throughout each volume | Varies, leaning more often to consecutive through volume | Each issue starts with page 1 | Each issue starts with page 1 |
| Publication Information | Many published by specific professional organizations published less often, (monthly, quarterly, semi-annually) |
Is published by a professional association published less often, (monthly, quarterly, semi-annually) |
published more often (monthly, weekly, daily) Published by corporation or media outlet |
published more often (monthly, weekly, daily) Published by corporation or media outlet |
How do I find them?
Many of the Library’s subscriptions have an option to limit your search to scholarly (peer-reviewed) journals. These include:
Peer review*
Peer review is a process some scholarly articles go through. All peer reviewed articles are scholarly, but not all scholarly are peer reviewed. For more information on the peer review process watch this:
Additional Resources
More Information about this Topic
UC-Berkeley Library Tutorial (opens a 5-minute streaming video presentation)
University of Washington Libraries "Popular, Scholarly, and Trade Communication" (part of the Research 101 tutorial; includes interactive exercises)
Last updated December 2020