Magazines  These are designed to appeal to a broad segment of the population and are characterized by relatively short articles written in non-technical language, usually by staff writers. Information is useful for current events or contemporary treatment of a topic. They are usually published weekly or monthly.

 Examples: Time, Newsweek, Sports Illustrated, Smithsonian, Working Woman, and Natural History.

Journals Intended for a more limited readership. Articles are written by scholars or experts in a field, and the vocabulary is often technical and writing style more complex than in magazines or newspapers. They provide research articles on specific topics, often with charts or graphs, and with extensive bibliographies. They are usually published monthly, quarterly, semi-annually or annually.

Examples: New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of Special Education, Journal of Personality and Journalism Quarterly.

Definitions are from The Research Process: Books and Beyond by Myrtle Bolner and Gayle Poirier (c1997)