A journal is a collection of articles usually written by scholars in an academic or professional field. An editorial board reviews articles to decide whether they should be accepted. Articles in journals can cover very specific topics or narrow fields of research.

Since journals are published on a regular or periodic basis they are grouped in the category called "periodicals." Electronic journals, called e-journals, are published on the Web by scholarly organizations, or provided by the databases, and are made available to you from the Library.

Use a journal

• when doing scholarly research
• to find out what has been studied on your topic
• to find bibliographies that point to other relevant research

Examples of Journals

• Journal of Communication
• The Historian
• Journal of the American Medical Association
• Lancet