Module 1: Defining the Information Need

Periodicals

Periodicals are publications that are published at regular intervals such as daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annually. Information in periodicals is much more current than in books. Each issue of a periodical contains a number of articles. There are four major types of periodicals:

• Magazines
• Academic/Scholarly journals
• Trade/professional journals
• Newspapers

Strengths:

• Because periodicals are published regularly, information is much more current than the information in books
• Academic journals are the most important type of source for the physical sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, etc.)
• The short length of the articles allows the research to be focused on a specific aspect of the topic

Weaknesses:

• The short length of the articles prevents the author from exploring a topic broadly or in as much depth as is possible in a book

The following section will explain the characteristics of each type of periodical in detail.