However, it is important to look at the data discussed in articles to see when it was collected. Sometimes recent articles are written about older data. Also there is a natural lag time between data collection, writing and publishing information. A periodical is a publication issued at regular intervals. This includes magazines and journals and sometimes newspapers.
Journals are the most important for scholarly information.
Newspapers are used to find factual accounts of current events. Magazines provide more in-depth information and analysis of current events and developments in a variety of areas. Both of these sources are usually written for the general public. The information they contain is summarized and interpreted into non-technical language. These magazines are often referred to as popular and are the types of periodicals that the general public would be most likely to subscribe to or buy at a newsstand.