8.4 – Source Type: Trade Publication Cues
Learning Objective
After completing the activities in this chapter, you will be able to:
- identify a trade publication based on cues associated with this source type.
Examine the source and click on the 
symbol to learn about each cue that helps to identify a trade publication.
Source Type: Trade Publication Cues
Graphics & Ads
Trade publications are generally more like popular magazines than scholarly journals due to their use of graphics. Graphics are present on the cover, in articles illustrating their topic, and as advertisements geared towards the journal’s audience.
Specific focus
Trade journals and magazines are created for specific professional fields and contain articles that are generally written by professionals in that field.
Discovering Trade Journals
Trade publications can be found in library databases and websites. This example (Teach) was found on the journal’s website, but it is also found in multiple library databases.
Professional Authors
Articles may have short descriptions of the author’s credentials or no description is provided. These credentials may emphasize their professional experience rather than their academic experience. Authors are typically listed right after the title of the article. Occasionally, you might find the author’s name at the end of an article or footer of the page (similar to a magazine).
Short Articles & References
Trade publication articles are usually short, with few or no references cited, and focus on a specific topic within the profession (news, products, trends, professional practices, etc.). Authors are often experts in their field, but their articles are not peer-reviewed (i.e. scholarly). Articles may appear in a similar lay out to magazine articles, use more pictures and visual layouts than scholarly journal articles.
Language used
Trade publications use simple language and specific terminology used within their specific field.
Attribution & References
- This chapter is adapted from “Source Type: Trade Publication Cues” In APA Style Citation Tutorial by Sarah Adams and Debbie Feisst, University of Alberta Library, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 International License
- Stone, A. (2020, January/February). The end of discipline in the classroom. Teach, 26-29. https://issuu.com/teachmag/docs/teach_janfeb2020 . [Screenshots of trade publication article are used under Fair Dealing.]
