Serials Definitions *

I. Serial:

An all inclusive term for a publication in any medium issued in successive parts bearing numerical or chronological designations and intended to be continued indefinitely.  Serials include periodicals; newspapers; annuals (reports, yearbooks, etc.); the journals, memoirs, proceedings, transactions, etc., of societies; and numbered monographic series.

   Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the 
    United States of America 
Yearbook of  Comparative and General Literature

A.   Monographic series:

A group of monographs, usually related to one another in subject, issued in succession, normally by the same publisher and in uniform style with a collective title applying to the group as a whole. Monographic series may be numbered or unnumbered.

     Clinics in Geriatric Medicine 
     The Pediatric Clinics of North America 
     The Reference Shelf

B.  Newspaper:

A publication issued at stated and frequent intervals, usually daily, weekly, or semiweekly, which reports events and discusses topics of current interest.

    Boston Globe 
    National Catholic Reporter 
    New York Times 
    Springfield Union News

C.  Periodical:

A serial appearing or intended to appear indefinitely at regular or stated intervals, generally more frequently then annually, each issue of which is numbered or dated consecutively and normally contains separate articles, stories, or other writing.  Newspapers disseminating general news, and the proceedings, papers, or other publications of corporate bodies primarily related to their meetings, are not included in this term.

1. Journal:

A periodical, especially one containing scholarly articles and/or disseminating current information on research and development particular subject field.

a. Professional society journal:

An official or other publication (periodical) issued by, or under the auspices of, a society,  association, or institution.

   American Libraries 
   JAMA:  Journal of the American Medical Association

b. Refereed/Juried journal:

A periodical or other serial in which the manuscripts are evaluated by at least one subject specialist in addition to the editor before being accepted for publication.

   Advances in Nursing Science 
   Chaucer Review 
   Critical Inquiry 
   German Quarterly 
   Journal of Morphology 
   Origins 
   Social Work

c. Trade journal or publication:

A periodical devoted to the interests of a trade or industry and its allied fields. Usually not refereed.

   Management Accounting 
   New England Economic Review 
   Publishers Weekly

2. Magazine:

A periodical for general reading, containing articles on various subjects by different authors.

a. Popular magazine:

A periodical for general reading, containing articles on various subjects by different authors.

     Art in America 
     National Geographic 
     New Yorker 
     Newsweek 
     Nursing Times 
     Scientific American 
     Smithsonian

b. Consumer/general interest magazines:

A periodical that reflects social trends, issues, and interests.

   Aramco World Magazine 
   Consumer Reports 
   PC World 
   Prevention

I.  Index:

A list of topics, names, etc. treated in a book or a group of books, with references to pages where they occur.

  Catholic Periodical and Literature Index 
  Essay and General Literature Index 
  Psychological Abstracts 
  Social Work Abstracts

III. Electronic Serial:

A work issued in designated parts for an indefinite period of time, which must comprise successive parts bearing numberic or chronological designations, in a computer file format and accessed "via input/output devices connected electronically to a computer" (AACR2); The most frequently encountered types of remote access serials are electronic journals, newsletters, or newspapers available on the Internet. Electronic serials range from those that parallel print publications to serials that lack traditional issues.

1.  Electronic Journal:

A publication, often scholarly, that is made accessible in a computerized format and distributed over the Internet. An electronic journal or e-journal may have a traditional paper counterpart or historical antecedent.

Affilia 
The Economist 
Nursing Outlook 
PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)

2.  Zine or E-zine:

Another category of online serials,consisting of popular, unconventional, or informal "electronic magazines" that often cover popular culture, politics, etc.

 L.A. Woman Magazine - Lyme Juice 
 W.W.II Today - WWWtips 
 z Times - ZYN!-Magazine