A journal is a regular publication (monthly, yearly, etc.) in which you will find academic and research articles. Much of the scholarly research published today is published as journal articles. Journals, also known as periodicals or magazines, generally fall under three categories:

• Scholarly sources such as journals, academic books, and dissertations, undergo a formal evaluation process before publication. These sources may or may not be peer-reviewed depending on the journal they are published in.

• Popular sources such as magazines do not typically go through the same review process as scholarly resources; in many cases, popular resources are reviewed by a single editor, who may or may not have expertise in the subject area. Popular sources are generally not considered to be scholarly or peer-reviewed.

• Trade sources are written for those who work in a specific industry. These sources tend to publish news, statistics, trends, and other information relevant to their industry. Authors can be staff editors, journalists, practitioners, or academics in the field. Trade sources are generally not considered to be scholarly or peer-reviewed.

Terms you may encounter during your research:

• Journal: A regular publication of academic and research articles.
• Serial: A broad term that refers to items published in a series but the items are separate and standalone. Examples include indexes, yearbooks and some journals.
• Periodical: A regular publication that includes articles, stories and other text. Magazines and newspapers are examples of these.
• Conference proceedings: The published record of a conference.
• Full-text: This means you can read the item in full from beginning to end, not just the abstract or summary.
• Platform: This refers to the site on which you can find and access the journal.