Periodicals Comparison Assignment (Instructor’s Page)
For use as an outside assignment. If you assign some credit or points to completing this assignment correctly the
students are more likely to come to the library and ask for help if they need it. The Reference staff and
Serials/Government Documents staff are aware of the assignment and will assist the students to find the correct type of
periodicals -- if asked.
Some Objectives of this assignments:
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Finding the library and the current periodicals section.
Providing a visual and hands-on introduction to periodical publications.
A recognition that there are different kinds of publications with different purposes.
A recognition that there are different kinds of publications for different audiences.
Practice locating date, volume and issue information
Practice classifying different kinds of publications by major characteristics.
An alert that cheating is not acceptable.
For assignments in CIS, Allied Health(AHP might wish to use the Baugh Biomedical Library for this assignment)
and Business students, the instructor might want to limit the scholarly journal choice to one in the discipline. If you
also wish to limit the trade journal selection, please check with the library to make sure that we have one or more
printed trade journals in your field.
Name
Date
Periodicals Comparison Assignment
1. Choose one magazine, one trade journal and one academic journal from the current periodical
shelves on the Second Floor South of the University Library.
(NOTE: You will NOT be able to check these out. This exercise is to be done individually in the library itself. DO NOT take
these items from this area. Ask for help at the Information Desk next to the current periodicals about which periodicals fit the
categories. Do not copy the answers from another student as this will be cheating and treated as such.)
Title of magazine, date:
Title of trade journal, date. volume and issue #
Title of scholarly journal, year, volume and issue #
2. Count the advertisements in the first 10 pages of each. Total?
Magazine
Trade journal
Scholarly journal
3. Estimate the average length of the first five full articles in each.
Magazine
Trade journal
Scholarly journal
4. What are the credentials of the authors of any one article in each?
Magazine
Trade journal
Scholarly journal
5. How many Works Cited references in an average article in each?
Magazine
Trade journal
Scholarly journal
6. Pick the three longest words you can find from one article from each type of publication?
Magazine
Trade journal
Scholarly journal