Opinion and Trade Periodicals: The In-Betweens
"Journals of Opinion"
Journals of Opinion are really more like magazines than journals. They're published weekly, and they have color pages and lots of photographs and advertisements. But there are some big differences. Journals of Opinion are geared toward educated readers who, although not experts, are knowledgeable about the issues presented. Articles are longer but still fairly easy to understand.
Journals of Opinion typically have a political bias: neutral, conservative, or liberal. Imagine how useful these can be if you need to find opposing viewpoints on a hot topic, like health care, election reform, or government spending.
Examples of "journals of opinion":
- New Republic (bias is close to center)
- National Review (right/conservative bias)
- The Nation (left/liberal bias)
Trade Publications
Trade publications are the periodicals you'll use to keep up with the news in your profession. Articles are related to a specific field, but they're typically not research-length or peer-reviewed.
Examples of trade publications:
- Library Journal
- Certified Medical Assistant Today
- Information Week
Trade magazines can add an interesting perspective to some topics. For example, search computer trade magazines for articles about internet security; look to library trade magazines for information about censorship.
Selective List of Liberal & Conservative Periodicals [HTML] [PDF]
source, political images: animationfactory.com
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