The word journalism is often associated with newspapers because for hundreds of years, newspapers served as people's primary source of news in the Western World and was the form of journal most commonly accessed by the general public. Since the late 19th century, major and often small newspapers have provided daily information about important political, economic and social events. Some have local scopes while others focus on national and global news. Besides offering strict, factual accounts, often referred to as "hard news," newspapers offer commentary, editorials and features on communities, people and trends.
Magazines are weekly, monthly and sometimes semimonthly or quarterly publications that offer news, information and commentary within a specific subject or scope of interest. Unlike newspapers that center around reporting events, magazines focus on features that explore topics such as health, nature, business, women's issues, and politics in depth. For example a nature magazine may offer multipage stories on the lives of Chilean llamas while a fashion magazine may have stories on what to expect for next spring's formal wear. Today's magazines are usually glossy, full-color and make extensive use of photographs, illustrations and graphic images.
The academic community discusses ideas and the findings and implications of research in tremendous detail. Academic journals are often thick publications containing a series of essays and papers relating advancements in knowledge and presentation of theories. They also serve as a forum for academics within a discipline to conduct ongoing conversation about important issues in their field. Journals focus on specific academic subjects such as geology, English literature and education. Contributions to academic journals are usually reviewed for validity and relevance by a panel of professors before they are published. Journals vary in frequency of publication ranging from monthly to annually.
Similar to academic journals, professional publications feature lengthy articles on ideas and trends. Only instead of them focusing on strictly academic topics and research, they go into the concepts related to particular professions. Examples can include journals on marketing, accounting, physical therapy and veterinary practice. In some cases, academic and professional journals overlap. Medical journals, for example, can be considered both academic and professional because they discuss research, findings and implications as well as their practical application to the practice of a profession. In all cases, professional journals are resources professionals can access to support the betterment of their work. Many professional journals are sponsored and moderated by industry trade associations, such as the American Medical Association and the American Physical Therapy Association.