Information in Periodicals and Newspapers

bookshlf2b.gif (3419 bytes) WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT INFORMATION
IN PERIODICALS AND NEWSPAPER ARTICLES

When Looking for Information In Periodical and Newspaper Articles Consider These Things

Periodical and newspaper articles are important research materials. Periodicals and newspapers contain the most recent information on a subject, cover topics too new or too specific to be covered by books, and give the trend of interest or opinion relating to a current issue or event. Professional periodicals report the latest research and developments in a field of interest. Knowing the characteristics of the major types of periodicals will help you to use these sources more effectively. To locate information in periodicals and newspapers you must use an index to locate the specific article title, title of periodical or newspaper, date of the issue, and the page numbers.

Magazines are general interest periodicals. They are intended for a popular audience or for the general reader. They are usually easy to read and understand even by a student with no background in the subject. Most of the magazines in a library are indexed in Readers’ Guide and Periodical Abstracts.

FEATURES	WEAKNESSES
current information interesting to read good illustrations cover very specific topics	articles often lack depth articles not always documented writers are not always experts articles frequently lack historical perspective often focus on opinion more than fact

Journals —often referred to as scholarly journals or professional journals—are specialized periodicals that contain reports of current research, reviews of current research, articles of theoretical discussion, as well as reviews of new books related to a particular field or specialty. Many journals are issued quarterly, whereas many magazines are issued weekly or monthly. Journals are indexed in subject indexes like Art Index, ERIC, or Humanities Index.

FEATURES	WEAKNESSES
most recent research authors are experts in their field have notes and bibliographies cover topics in depth	may require an advanced reading level topics may be specialized may not be owned by small libraries

Newspapers report general news and events from the world, the region, the state, and the city. Newspapers also contain feature articles and editorials on a variety of topics including lifestyle, health, business, government, entertainment, and social problems. Libraries will subscribe to several newspaper indexes, like NewsBank Index, Wall Street Journal Ondisc, and New York Times Ondisc.

FEATURES	WEAKNESSES
easy to read most recent news covers local and regional topics not covered in national magazines	articles often lack depth authors may not be experts

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