What are periodicals in a Library

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Finding Periodicals on the catalogue
Print Periodicals in the Library
WHAT... is a Periodical?
WHY... are Periodical Articles important?
How... do I know which Periodical Articles are scholarly?
WHERE... are Periodicals located?
HOW DO I... find a Periodical Article?

Periodical literature (also called a periodical publication or simply a periodical) is a published work that appears in a new edition on a regular schedule. The most familiar examples are the newspaper, often published daily, or weekly; or the magazine, typically published weekly, monthly or as a quarterly. Other examples would be a newsletter, a literary journal or learned journal, or a yearbook. These examples are typically published and referenced by volume and issue. "Volume" typically refers to the number of years the publication has been circulated, and "Issue" refers to how many times that periodical has been published during that year. For example, the April 2011 publication of a monthly magazine first published in 2002 would be listed as, "Volume 9, Issue 4." (Roman numerals are sometimes used in reference to the Volume number.)

Periodicals can be classified into two types: popular and scholarly. The popular periodicals are magazine and newspapers, like Ebony and Esquire. The scholarly periodicals are found in libraries and databases. Examples are The Journal of Psychology and the Journal of Social Work. Trade/Professional journals are also examples of periodicals. They are written for an audience of professionals in the world. As of the early 1990s, there were over 6,000 business, technical, academic, scientific and trade publications in the United States alone.[1]

These examples are related to the idea of an indefinitely continuing cycle of production and publication: newspapers plan to continue publishing, not to stop after a predetermined number of editions. A novel, in contrast, might be published in monthly parts, a method revived after the success of The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens.[2] This approach is called part-publication, particularly when each part is from a whole work, or a serial, for example in comic books. It flourished in the middle of the nineteenth century, for example with Abraham John Valpy's Delphin Classics, and was not restricted to fiction.[3]

The International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) is to periodical publications what the ISBN is to books: a standardized reference number.

A peer-reviewed publication (also know as refereed) defines itself through a stringent editorial process conducted by experts in the field. Articles must be screened, usually by an editorial board, before being accepted for publication.

There are several methods for finding peer-reviewed journals:

What is a periodical? A periodical is a publication with multiple articles which appears more than once, usually on a regular basis. Articles from periodicals provide more recent information than books, since they can be published more quickly.
Magazines, scholarly journals and newspapers are all periodicals. Being aware of the different types helps you select the most appropriate one for your research needs. The distinguishing features of each are outlined in the table below. Magazines and newspapers are sometimes referred to as popular material, because they are written for a general audience.
You should use journal articles when you need focused, up-to-date information on a topic. In general, you should use scholarly sources for your research because they provide a greater depth of information. However, in some cases it is also acceptable to use popular sources such as newspapers. Check with your professor.

Periodicals are an important part of academic study in any subject, and are often also referred to as journals or serials. They’re published regularly, just like weekly or monthly magazines.

Academic journals are a type of periodical, and are different from other magazines because they are written by academics and peer-reviewed for quality. They were first developed as a fast way of disseminating knowledge as they are quicker to publish than an academic book. Your tutors may recommend particular academic journals to you, or suggest you read a specific article from one.

Periodicals are normally published in volumes, with each volume split into different issues. So you might see a reference that says Vol.21, no.3, or 21(3).

Periodicals are now commonly available electronically, and these are often referred to as ‘e-journals’. Goldsmiths has subscriptions to hundreds of periodicals, including those available in print only, those available electronically and in print, and those only available electronically.

Finding Periodicals on the catalogue

You can search for periodicals on the catalogue by choosing the ‘journals’ search page and entering the title of the periodical. You won’t be able to search the catalogue by individual article, which is why it is important that you understand the reference you have been given to know the title of the periodical. Our induction video on the VLE, Deadline at Dawn, shows you how to do this (You will need to log in). Or you can watch a quick screencast of searching for periodicals on the catalogue.

Electronic periodicals can be accessed straight from the catalogue by clicking on the ‘findit@gold’ button. If you’re off campus you will need to log in with your IT username and password.

Print Periodicals in the Library

The print periodicals are classified in Dewey Decimal, just like the books, and have their own section on each floor. That means all you’ll find the periodicals most relevant to your subject on the same floor as the books on your subject.

For many print periodicals, the most current issue is on display while the older issues are on the shelves. The periodicals on the second floor are split into two sections, with the current display issues and all periodicals from 700-770 in the Art Journals room, and the rest in the main sequence near the oversize and CD collection. Remember to check the ‘Holdings’ of the journal to make sure we have the issue you’re looking for, and to check where they are. If you find a journal with a location ‘reserve stack’, just ask at Special Collections and they will fetch it for you.

Periodicals on display in the 2nd Floor Art Journals Room

Top tips:

Remember we have both print and electronic journals, so if you don’t find what your looking for in one format, check the other!
Check out your subject guides for links to periodical databases and indexes specific to your subject, you can use these to find individual articles or their references by keyword, which is really useful when researching a topic.
If you get stuck with finding periodicals, ask at the Enquiry Desk for more help.

The Print Periodical Collection consists of: journals, periodicals, bank reports and statistic bulletins. The main subject areas covered are: Business Studies & Economics, Computer Science, Psychology, English Studies and Social Sciences.

WHAT... is a Periodical?

A periodical is a publication which appears at regular intervals, e.g. weekly, monthly or quarterly.

It normally contains articles submitted by several contributors. Typical examples are: journals, bulletins and newsletters. It may be in printed, digital (electronic), or other formats.

WHY... are Periodical Articles important?

They provide current and up-to-date information.
Articles are sources of high-quality information.
Articles may often be the only source of information on a particular topic.

How... do I know which Periodical Articles are scholarly?

Scholarly articles are broken into sections, each with its own purpose:

The abstract: a summary of the article.
The introduction: a background on the article's topic.
Methods and materials: could be the results of an experiment or study. The results discuss what was learned, followed by the conclusion or discussion, which describes the implications of the study, what might have gone wrong, and what this means for the future.
References section: contains a list of the resources used for research and to write the article.

WHERE... are Periodicals located?

The print Periodicals Collection (PC) contains individual issues of journals received within the last ten years. Periodicals are arranged in alphabetical order by title. The most recent issue of a journal is shelved on the "Current Periodicals" displays. Old periodicals which have academic value are relegated to the closed stacks.

Journal Titles within the print Periodical Collection can be searched through OpenABEKT Online Library Catalogue.

HOW DO I... find a Periodical Article?

Whether you have a specific reference from a reading list, a bibliography, or not, you should first consult the OpenABEKT Catalogue to find out if the library has the specific periodical in which the article appears.

If so, look for it in Project Room, where the Current Periodicals are held.

If the ILC does not subscribe to the periodical, consult a member of the ILC staff for further assistance.

Alternatively, use a PC to search the appropriate e-resource to locate articles on topics of your interest. Periodical articles may be traced using e-journals, digital libraries and electronic databases.

Electronic Journals: are digital versions of print journals, or they may be electronic publications with no print counterpart.

Tip: Use the “Keeping up-to-date with a Subject” guide and the “Finding Articles on a Subject” guides available at the ILC Help Guides web pages.

Online Databases: : provide access to full texts or abstracts of articles.

Tip: Use the “How to Search in Databases” guide and other useful guides available at the ILC Help Guides web pages.

If only an ABSTRACT is available use the Interlibrary Request Service to obtain the FULLTEXT of the item.