Scholarly vs. Non-Scholarly Periodicals: Sensational

• Sensational periodicals come in a variety of styles, but often use a newspaper format.
• Their language is elementary and occasionally inflamatory or sensational. They assume a certain gullibility in their audience.
• The main purpose of sensational magazines seems to be to arouse curiosity and to cater to popular superstitions.  They often do so with flashy headlines designed to astonish (e.g. "Boy Born with Two Heads and Fully Grown").

Globe

National Examiner

Star

Weekly World News

Sensational periodicals generally appear in the form of newspapers. The purpose of these periodicals is to arouse curiosity and report shocking or obscure news. The language is sensational or inflammatory and many of these articles are written by freelancers. The information is questionable and assumes some gullibility in their audience. The headlines are eye-catching and astonishing.  They will be at every convenience store and checkout in the grocery store.

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