Magazines or Journals?

Magazines

A magazine is a collection of articles and images about diverse topics of popular interest and current events. Usually these articles are geared toward the average adult. Magazines may cover very "serious" material, but to find consistent scholarly information you should use journals.

Magazines, like journals and newspapers, are called "periodicals" because they are published at regular intervals throughout the year. Print magazines can be found in newsstands and libraries. Electronic magazines, sometimes called e-zines, can be found on the Web and sometimes in "digital library" collections.

Use a Magazine or Newspaper to find:

Information or opinion about popular culture

Up-to-date information about current events

General articles for people who are not necessarily specialists about the topic

Examples of Magazines

U.S. News and World Report

Ebony

Wired

Utne Reader

Journals
A journal is a collection of articles usually written by scholars in an academic or professional field. An editorial board reviews articles to decide whether they should be accepted for publication. Hence, such journals are called "refereed" or "peer reviewed." Articles in journals can cover very specific topics or narrow fields of research. Journals are part of the “periodicals” category because they are published on a regular or periodic basis. Electronic journals, called e-journals, are published on the Web by some scholarly organizations and are made available to you from your library.

Use a Journal

When doing scholarly research

To find out what has been studied on your topic

To find bibliographies that point to other relevant research

Examples of Journals

Journal of Communication

The Historian

Journal of the American Medical Association

Lancet