Periodical articles are published in scholarly journals, popular magazines, and trade publications.  While all three types of publications may contain articles on a given topic, the language, authority, and intended audience is distinct, one from the other.  Below are general characteristics you may use to differentiate among the types of articles.
	Scholarly Journal Articles	Popular Magazine Articles
	Always include bibliography/reference list	Do not include bibliography/reference list
	Authors are identified as experts in field	Authors are often on staff of publication
	Language is technical	Language is non-technical
	Report original research or experimentation	Inform or entertain the general public
Articles in periodicals are identified by searching by subject in one of the many periodical indexes provided by the Library. These indexes, housed in the Reference Room or on the Library Home Page, may cover one subject area (e.g., BIOSIS Previews) or numerous subject areas (e.g., Academic Search Elite).