Periodicals are publications that are released on a regular basis. Periodicals include magazines, trade journals, and academic publications. Periodicals are more regularly released than books and will contain more up-to-date information. Some examples of popular periodicals include The New York Times, Science Magazine, and Wired. Periodicals are published by both large companies and small businesses. Large companies may have divisions that cover specific subject areas such as technology or health care. These groups often have their own editors who decide what content should be included in the magazine. Smaller companies may publish multiple periodicals under one roof with shared editors or writers. For example, the Economist has several sections including Economy News, Technology News, Health Care News, etc. Most periodicals are not created equal. Some are more important than others and serve different purposes for their publishers. For example, a magazine about science is going to have a very different content mix than a magazine about movies. Knowing this can help you understand why some articles may appear in more than one periodical. Here are some other things to know before you start reading: Most periodicals have an editorial board that decides what content should be included in the publication. This board may consist of journalists, experts, or both. They may also send out surveys to get input from their audience.