Information Source: Professional/Trade Publications
Another type of periodical is professional or trade publications. These fall somewhere between scholarly journals and consumer/popular magazines - while they are written for a specific professional audience (like a scholarly journal), they often have images and ads (like a consumer publication). When you're examining a periodical publication and you're trying to figure out if it's a trade or professional publication, consider the following characteristics:
- Trade or professional publications are targeted at practicing professionals in the field - teachers, nurses, accountants, doctors, and the like.
- Articles in trade publications don't contain original research, but instead focus on research's potential practical applications for those in the field.
- Authors of trade publication articles are generally professionals in the field, and their writing assumes they are reaching other professionals with similar experiences, vocabulary, and knowledge - so, specialized vocabulary (or jargon) is often used.
- Advertisements generally appear, but they're most likely profession-specific - so, you're not likely to find advertisements for pharmaceutical companies in American Libraries, the trade publication for librarians seen above.
When you have information from a trade publication, this can be most useful if you need to:
- Find information about practical application of ideas specific to a profession - for instance, how to use research in learning theory to lay out a K-12 classroom.
- Get information relating to a profession or how it operates - for instance, you are researching restaurant workplace culture and you are considering how employees are trained.
- Explore current or important issues and trends in a profession.
