Periodicals can usually be divided into the three broad categories identified in the table below.
| Characteristics | Popular Magazines | Scholarly Journals | Trade Publications |
| Examples | Jet People Psychology Today Rolling Stone Sports Illustrated Time |
Bioscience Communications and the Law Elementary School Journal Journal of Marketing Journal of Modern History Journal of Religion |
Advertising Age American Libraries Automotive News NEA Today |
| Advertising | Include lots of advertising for the general public. | Do not usually rely on advertising for revenue. If advertising is included, it is specific to the field or discipline of the journal. | Includes ads for trade or professional products and services. |
| Audience | General audience. No special language used. No peer review process. | Scholars in the particular subject or discipline. Journals use a peer review process where a draft of the article is critically assessed by other scholars in the author's field of specialty. Jargon is used. | People in industry or those seeking employment in the industry. No peer review process. Jargon is used. |
| Authors | Generally staff and freelance writers. | Scholars in the particular or discipline. | Specialists in a certain field or industry. |
| Content | Subject field is broad and of general interest. Articles are meant to inform and entertain. | Articles report on original research in a specific field or discipline. | Articles cover narrow trade or professional issues and are of a practical nature. |
| Indexing | Indexed in popular research databases or indexes such as MasterFILE Premier. | Are usually indexed in subject-specific research databases or indexes such as Business Source Premier, ERIC, PsycInfo, Religion Index One, MEDLINE. | Often indexed in both general and subject specific databases or indexes. |
| Layout | Short glossy articles with many photographs. | Long articles. Illustrations usually take the form of charts, graphs and tables. | Short, technical articles with photos, charts and graphics. |
| Reference | Author often not identified. Sources mentioned but often not cited. | Author is identified. Research is documented with footnotes and bibliography. | Articles are informal and journalistic. Author is identified. Sources are mentioned but often not cited in a formal bibliography. |