Finding Articles in the Databases: Periodical Types

There are generally three (3) types of publications, which you should distinguish as follows: 

Peer-Reviewed /
Scholarly Journals

Trade Journals

Popular Magazines

Overall Look
and Layout

Primarily print with few pictures.

Tables, graphs and diagrams are often included.

If there are ads, they are for books or conferences.

Cover often depicts industrial setting.

Pictures and illustrations in color.

Ads are mostly trade related.

Eye-catching cover.

Pictures and illustrations in color.

Colorful ads for commercial products.

Audience

Scholars, researchers, practitioners.

Members of a specific business, industry or organization.

General public.

Authors

Experts in the field (ie faculty members, researchers).

Authors named and institutional affiliations given.

Magazine staff members, contributing authors or freelance writers.

Authors usually named.

Magazine staff members, journalists, freelance writers.

Authors may be anonymous (ie articles are unsigned).

Editors

Editorial board of outside scholars (peer review)

Editors work for publisher.

Editors work for publisher.

Publishers

Often a scholarly or professional organization or a university press.

Often a trade organization.

Commercial, for profit.

Content

Research projects, methodology, literary criticism, and theory.

Industry trends, new products or techniques, and organizational news.

News, personalities and general interest articles.

Writing Style
and Language

Terminology, jargon & language of the discipline covered. Assumes reader has s scholarly background.

Uses terminology and language of trade or industry covered.

Easy to read, simple language used.

Aimed at the layperson.

References
or Bibliographies

Articles include a bibliography, references, notes and/or works cited section

Articles may have short bibliographies.

Articles rarely include references.

Examples

Journal of Abnormal Psychology

PLOS ONE

JAMA Open – the Open-Access arm of the Journal of the American Medical Association

Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce

Corrections Today

CyTA Journal of Food

Psychology Today

Vice Magazine 

Game Informer