Magazines, journals, and newspapers are all types of periodicals. Periodicals are resources that are published at regular intervals. They might be published weekly, monthly, or annually. Different periodicals are written for different reasons and for different audiences.
Use the table below to learn about the differences between scholarly/peer-reviewed journals, popular magazines, and trade journals..
| Scholarly/Peer Reviewed | Popular | Trade | |
| Author |
Articles written by experts in the field Authors are often affiliated with universities, research institutes or government bodies |
Articles written by professional writers or journalists, not experts in the field |
Articles are written by people with knowledge of the industry Authors are often affiliated with a particular company or industry association |
| Citations | Articles include references (reference list/footnotes) | Rarely contain references. May contain links | Articles sometimes include references |
| Purpose | Communicates research information to scholars or researchers | Purpose is to entertain & inform the general public | Purpose is to communicate amongst people in the industry |
| Reviewed or edited | Peer reviewed articles are reviewed by subject experts (peers) before publication; not all scholarly articles are peer reviewed |
Might be edited for grammar or punctuation, but not necessarily fact checked Little specialized vocabulary is needed to understand the articles |
Some articles are peer reviewed Specialized knowledge may be needed to understand the articles |
| Images |
Tables, graphs, or charts add information, are not just for entertainment Little or no advertisements |
Colourful, eye-catching covers Lots of photos and advertisements |
May have glossy covers Photos and advertisements aimed at the specific industry |
| Publisher | Usually published by a university, institution, association or society | Usually published by a commercial publisher or business | Usually published by a trade or professional group |
|
Examples: Fire Technology Journal of Forensic Identification Prehospital & Disaster Medicine |
Examples: Maclean’s National Geographic Sport’s Illustrated |
Examples: Advanced Rescue Technology Firehouse The Police Marksman |
*If this chart does not display properly on a mobile device, please rotate to landscape layout. |