Periodical/Journal/Magazine

Frequently Asked Questions

Periodicals come in a variety of styles and are published for a variety of audiences. They offer news, opinion, commentary, scholarly analysis, literary criticism, and reports of research.  They range from brief newsletters published by trade organizations to in-depth journals published by scientific societies and university presses.  All periodicals are published at more or less regular intervals, from daily newspapers to semi-annual journals.

What is a Citation? A written reference to a specific book, article, dissertation, report, etc. written by a particular author or editor, clearly identifying the document in which the work is to be found.

What is Peer -Reviewed article?

Many scholarly journals require that an article be evaluated by one or more experts on the subject validity, originality, quality of research and clarity before it can be published. Some bibliographic databases allow search results to be limited to peer-reviewed journals.)

What is full-text?

Some electronic databases provide the entire text of a book, encyclopedia or articles published in journals, magazines, and/or newspapers.

What is a journal?

A periodical that publishes original research and current developments in a specific field of study (example: Journal of Clinical Epidemiology). Journal articles are usually written by the persons who conducted the research. Longer than most magazine articles, they almost always include a bibliography or list of works cited at the end. Most medical and science journals usually begin with an abstract or summary of the article. Most scholarly journals are peer-reviewed.

Prepared for you by Tri-County Community College Library Staff 08/02/2006