Is it a periodical or not?

Help with NoodletoolsUW-Manitowoc Library Services

The first thing Noodletools wants to

know is this: Periodical? Or not?

It seems like an easy question

These are periodicals These are books, or nonperiodicals

Periodicals are purchased through a subscription

They are published periodically (monthly, weekly, quarterly, annually, etc.)

Volume and issue numbers show the sequence of issues

Dates given may include month or season and year

Usually they compile a variety of articles written by different authors

They can be in print, microform, or electronic forms

Periodicals can include magazines, newspapers, newsletters, and journals

The differences are obvious, right?

Books are bought one at a time

The book ends on its last page—if changes are needed, a new book (later edition) is published.

Some books are published in parts and have multiple volumes, but they still end (unlike periodicals, which have no known termination date)

Publication date is usually a single year, e.g., 2009

Often represent the sustained work of one author but also can collect shorter works by several authors

They can be in print, microform, or electronic forms

Books can include pamphlets, hard-cover books, technical documents, manuals, and multi-volume reference books

Books or nonperiodicals

You didn’t mention that

periodicals are shiny, with lots of

photos and advertisements.

Why not?

There are several types of periodicals. Not all are popular

magazines.

Journal ◦ Publishes scholarly, academic

work

Magazine◦ Shiny and colorful, includes ads,

popular, for the mass market

Newsletter ◦ Documents the activities of an

organization

Newspaper ◦ Newsprint, current, covers daily

or weekly events

Noodletools lists them

Take a look at the following and try to guess whether they are periodicals or not

Periodical or not?

Periodical or not?

That’s easy. The word

“journal” is in the title!Periodical!

Periodical or not?

On second thought, nothing is that easy at the university. So I’ll also say

that the articles all have

different titles with different

authors. Periodical!

You’re right. It’s a periodical. The

best way to develop

judgment about the differences is with experience using them. So here’s another.

Periodical or not?

Periodical or not?

It’s not slick or colorful.

Periodical or not?

But hey—There are two titles. One is the title of the

article. One is the title of the journal.

So it’s a periodical.

I like the way you are using reason and common

sense to figure it out.

Periodical or not?

Sweet! It’s

colorful and

shiny!

Periodical or not?Not only that, but I see two titles. This is from Rolling

Stone magazine. Periodical!

Periodical or not?

This is just a cover. I can only guess at what’s inside.

Yes, without the physical item, it can

be more difficult to decide.

Periodical or not?

Can’t fool me. There will be

no new Beowulf

arriving in the mail next

month. This is a book!

Books have one title, though it may have two parts, as this does

Beowulf: A New Verse Translation is how the title would be written in a citation

Periodical or not?

Look for these elements when analyzing a source. If you see all this, it’s a periodical: ◦ Title of article◦ Title of magazine

(periodical)◦ Author◦ Date◦ Page numbers◦ Volume and issue

number

Periodical or nonperiodical?

There are variations among the types of periodicals. Popular magazines and newspapers may not have volume and issue numbers.

Welcome to the wild world of

periodicals!

Periodical or not?

This page mentions the New

York Times and I know

that’s a newspaper.

But I don’t see a date or volume number like a

periodical would have. And there’s a

publisher listed: Henry Holt.

Periodical or not?

This page lists articles, each with its own title and

author. That’s like a periodical.

It’s some sort of hybrid. A

bookical!

Periodical or not?

It’s actually called an anthology. Each

article was originally published in the New

York Times. The articles have been

collected and reprinted in a book called an anthology

or collection.

Noodletools provides anthology as a type of nonperiodical choice

This kind of source can be tricky to identify at first

But anthologies are common sources of information

OK, one more. This time it’s electronic,

retrieved from a library database, Academic Search

Elite from EBSCOHost.

This looks like the

photocopy of an article

from a periodical. It has a volume

and issue number.

There are two titles: article and journal

Periodical or not?

That was an article in pdf form.

Take a look at this one

in html.

It doesn’t look like much, but in the upper left corner it

gives a volume and

issue number. It’s a

periodical.

Electronic sources may not look like

their paper counterpart.

But you can still

figure them out.

Everything here has been

explained and seems obvious,

but what if I make the wrong choice when I’m

doing this by myself?

A wrong choice in Noodletools will

become apparent when the program

asks you a question that you can’t answer. If that happens, just

start over.

Remember to ask your professor or a librarian for help if needed. Keep cool

—you learn with each citation and it gets easier as you

go.

Good luck!

Filion, Michel. Face from Lachine. 2007. Flickr. Web. June 23, 2009.

<http://www.flickr.com/photos/mike9alive/539869668/>

Pearson, John Lambert. Faces, for Ingy. 2007. Flickr. Web. June 23, 2009.

<http://www.flickr.com/photos/orphanjones/448527789/>

Sources