Q. What is a periodical?

The word periodical is related to period, as in a certain length of time. Periodicals are published with regular intervals of time between issues and are described by that length of time, whether it's daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly or annual. Periodicals can be meant for a general audience like the ones you find on a magazine stand in the airport, or they may be more specialized for readers with specific interests, such as The Journal of the Society for Penguin Appreciation or Window Washer Gazette. (credit vocabulary.com)

• Types of periodicals include magazines, newspapers and journals. 
  • Journals are often issued monthly, but might only be published a few times a year.
  • Magazines are often published monthly, weekly, while newspapers generally come out daily.
• Keep in mind that despite the information above, some article databases use the term "periodical" to refer exclusively to magazines and not to scholarly journals or newspapers. 

• You can find all the periodicals available through Walker Library using Journals A-Z. The Journals A-Z link is next to the JEWL Search box on the Library's home page. 
  • Bound periodicals are shelved in the Periodicals area on the first floor.

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