Master of Business Administration

What is a trade publication?

Some assessment tasks will specify to use articles from trade publications. So what does this mean?

Trade (or professional) publications are magazines, journals or newspapers written for a particular audience. They are NOT peer-reviewed and are not considered to be scholarly.

In general, a trade publication will have news, current events information, trends, or best practices for practitioners in that industry, trade or profession. Unlike scholarly journals, trade publications do not contain original research and are meant to be practical in nature. Their focus is on current trends and issues.

Advantages of trade publications

• Timely coverage of industry trends
• Sometimes contain short bibliographies (although many do not)
• Shorter articles that are informal and provide practical tips and tricks

Disadvantages of trade publications

• Not peer-reviewed, although author is usually a professional with expertise in their field
• Use of specialised terminology may limit readability
• Evidence drawn from personal experience or common knowledge, rather than rigorous research
• Articles may include personal opinions, or be biased in support of an industry or company. They often include industry-related advertising.

Some examples of trade publications in the business area

• Adnews
• Money Management
• MPA (Mortgage Professional Australia)
• New Zealand Marketing Magazine