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Types of Periodicals: Trade/Professional

Uses and features of journals, magazines, and newspapers.

Types of Periodicals

Spectrum from scholarly sources to popular sources, with different types of periodical mediums.

Examples of Trade Publications

Things to that might be missing:

  1. Complete references telling you where the data is coming from.
  2. Author credentials. In one example, the author's name isn't even given.
  3. A table, graph or chart. The images used don't add anything to your understanding of the article.

Access Tools (Examples)

Trade/Professional Periodical Characteristics

  • Current trends, news & events in a particular field
  • Product, company & biographical information
  • Statistics, including forecasts
  • Some book reviews

Screenshot of article discussing early S T E M and childhood development with photo of a laughing blonde woman surrounded by two children stacking cups on a table. In the background are shelves of books, other tables, and a globe.

Screenshot taken from: Kropp, L. G. (2015). Surprise—It’s STEM!. School Library Journal, 61(7), 20-21.

Other examples:

  • Written for practitioners
  • Uses jargon of the field

Screenshot of a quote discussing how children's librarians can help parents learn how to integrate math concepts into daily conversations with their children.

Screenshot taken from: Kropp, L. G. (2015). Surprise—It’s STEM!. School Library Journal, 61(7), 20-21.

  • Practitioners
  • Journalists with subject expertise

Screenshot of article with large red arrow pointing to red box surrounding the author affiliation information.

Screenshot taken from: Kropp, L. G. (2015). Surprise—It’s STEM!. School Library Journal, 61(7), 20-21.

  • Sources often cited, but full documentation is not always provided

Screenshot of article with references surrounded in red box.

  • Commercial/trade publishers
  • Professional associations
  • Charts, tables, illustrations
  • Ads related to the profession/industry

Screenshot of journal page, titled Cruises. An advertisement for Uniworld Cruises is surrounded by a red box.

Screenshot taken from: Young, S. J. (2016). Romancing the rivers. Travel Agent, 347(6), 16-18.

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