The periodicals in the Jen Library form a continuum ranging from those referred to as popular magazines, trade or professional sources and scholarly, professional, or refereed journals. The following chart lists the typical characteristics that differentiate the three kinds of periodicals. Keep in mind, however, that some periodicals defy easy categories.
| | Popular | Trade/Professional | Scholarly (refereed or peer-reviewed) |
| Publisher | commercial firm | commercial firm or association | university or association
(large scientific & academic publishers) |
| Frequency | weekly, biweekly or monthly | weekly, biweekly or monthly | Quarterly |
| Audience | general readers | special readers
(persons employed in that field) | special readers
(academics and researchers) |
| Appearance | colorful, illustrated | colorful, illustrated | plain, mostly text |
| Article Type | short, nontechnical
with photos and graphics | short, technical
with photos and graphics | long, research style
with tables and charts |
| Writing Style | informal, journalistic | informal, journalistic | formal and/or scientific |
| Authors | staff writers | staff writers and persons employed in that field | academics and researchers |
| News Content | covers broad issues and popular and/or business affairs | covers narrow trade or professional issues | no news coverage |
| Advertising | ads for business or consumer products | ads for specialized trade/professional products and services | ads for books, if any |
| Research Apparatus | none | none | extensive bibliographies and advanced statistics |
| Examples | Sports Illustrated, People, Newsweek, National Geographic | Advertising Age, Variety, Lapidary Journal, Women's Wear Daily | Animation Journal, American Art Journal, Burlington |
