Magazines & Trade Publications

Magazines usually feature short to medium-length articles written by staff writers or journalists. Depending on the magazine, their purpose might be to inform, persuade, or entertain. Some magazines are geared toward a general audience, while others are written for people with a special interest in the topic. Most magazines also include advertisements, which appear alongside the content. When you are using magazines as a source type, focus on the medium-length articles, which are generally two-to-eight–pages long, rather than the short articles.

Popular Magazine Articles

Many of us grew up flipping through magazines like People, Sports Illustrated, or Vogue. Whether at the grocery store or the newsstand, most of the magazines we see are considered “popular” publications. This category includes a wide range of titles, from Popular Science to Rolling Stone. What makes these publications “popular”? It largely comes down to their business model. Popular magazines rely on advertising revenue, and the more readers they have, the more they can charge for ad space. So, their success depends on appealing to a broad audience (i.e., being popular with readers.)

These magazines are written for the general public and are usually easy to find, either in print or online. Topics vary widely, from news and politics to health, music, shopping, and entertainment. The articles often have eye-catching titles, bold visuals, and plenty of advertisements, which can make them more engaging than scholarly articles. While some articles may cite sources or link to additional information, they typically don’t include formal citations or reference lists.

These sources are published by both commercial and nonprofit publishers. They’re written by journalists, staff writers, or enthusiasts, and reviewed by editors before publication. This editorial process is similar to what you’d find in a standards-based news organization. Plenty of experts and authorities write articles for popular publications, but it’s important to remember that the goal of these publications is to attract and keep readers—not to contribute to academic research. Articles are fact-checked, but they don’t go through the same rigorous peer-review process as scholarly journal articles.

Substantive Popular Magazine Articles

Most popular sources are easy to read and understand. But there’s a category within them called “substantive popular sources” that take a bit more effort to work through. The effort is usually worth it in the end—these can be highly informative and useful sources! You will need to use your critical thinking skills to determine whether a source is a popular or substantive popular source.

Substantive popular sources are still written for a general audience, but they’re aimed at readers who are already interested in or want a deeper understanding of a topic. They may be harder for a complete novice to understand.

Their creators are serious about their intent to inform and want to be thorough. These articles often focus on topics like current events, politics, health, science, and social issues—though they can cover just about anything, including entertainment, in a more serious and thoughtful way. This kind of writing is sometimes called “long-form journalism.”

To identify a substantive popular source or long-form article, consider both the credibility of the author and publisher, as well as the complexity of the content. These articles are typically well-researched, analytical, written by professional journalists or subject-matter experts, and published by a credible publisher. Common examples of publications that regularly publish long-form or substantive popular articles are:

• The Atlantic
• The New Yorker
• The Economist

Timing also matters. For most news outlets, it’s hard to publish in-depth pieces right away during breaking news. Substantive articles often come later in the information lifecycle once there’s been time to research and reflect. See the “Information Lifecycle” chapter for more on this. To learn more about using different types of news sources, whether from newspapers, online news outlets, or beyond, see the “News” chapter.

When deciding if a source is substantive, think about who it’s written for. If the content assumes some prior knowledge or delivers more analysis than summary, it’s probably more than just a typical popular source. And if the author and publisher are reputable, you’re likely looking at a strong, reliable source for deeper insight.

Trade Publications

Another source type that’s similar to a popular magazine and will likely be quite useful is the trade publication. You might also hear them called “trade journals” or “trade magazines.” These are written for people working in a specific trade, field, or industry, which is where they get their name. They rely on advertising dollars to stay in business, and they do not provide the same rigorous peer-review process that scholarly journals do.

Trade publications usually have short to medium-length articles, which report on industry news, trends, or products. For most research projects, the most useful articles tend to be the medium-length ones (typically two pages or more) since they provide more detailed and informative content.

Trade Publication Articles

The key difference between popular and trade publications is the audience. Popular publications are written for a general audience. They use everyday language, avoid technical terms, and assume the reader has little or no background in the topic. In contrast, trade publications are written for professionals in a specific field. They’re often distributed through professional organizations and assume readers already understand the industry’s language and core concepts.

For example, Advertising Age is a trade publication for professionals in advertising and publishing, where it is considered an important source of current information on the state of the industry.

Additionally, they are:

• Written by staff writers or other professionals in the targeted field
• About trends and news from the targeted field, book reviews, and case studies
• Often less than 10 pages, some of which may contain footnotes and references
• Usually published by professional associations or commercial publishers
• Published after approval from an editor (not peer-reviewed)