Scotland Periodicals

Introduction
A periodical is a magazine, newsletter, or journal published on a regular basis. Journals are published by family history, local history, one-name (organized to study a specific surname), and national societies. The articles often include:


 * Family genealogies and pedigrees
 * Transcripts of church records, migration lists, and cemetery records
 * Suggestions for research procedures
 * Information about local records, archives, and services
 * Book advertisements and book reviews
 * Research advertisements
 * Researcher queries or requests for information about their ancestors

For more information about societies, see Scotland Societies.

A few of the countrywide journals are:


 * Scottish Record Society. 1897-. Published by the Scottish Record Society. These volumes contain indexes of various Scottish records.
 * The Scottish Association of Family History Societies Bulletin. Published by The Scottish Association of Family History Societies. This is published twice a year and contains news and updates from the various family history societies across Scotland.
 * The Scottish Genealogist. 1953-. Published by the Scottish Genealogy Society. (Family History Library book .)
 * Scottish Local History. 1983-. Published by Scottish Local History Forum. This is published three times a year. (Family History Library book .)

Online
Some of the periodicals pertaining to Scotland have been digitized and are available online (some can be viewed for free, others require a fee).

The Periodical Source Index (PERSI) is a valuable source for finding pertinent periodical articles. It is available on FindMyPast ($).

Some periodicals have online indexes of their published volumes and articles. These indexes can either link to the actual periodical, link to where the periodical can be purchased, or give the periodical or volume number/date that can then be used to purchase the periodical.
 * The Scottish Genealogist Index, 1953-2005 - link to index of articles available to download (as a pdf)
 * The Scottish Association of Family History Societies Bulletins - contains digital copies of their bulletins
 * Scottish Record Society: Old Series Publications - lists all volumes and links to read them online
 * Scottish Record Society: New Series Publications - lists all volumes and links to purchase them
 * Electronic Scotland: Scottish Record Society - lists all Scottish Record Society volumes available to download and view online
 * Scottish Local History: Journal Content Index - lists all published articles with their corresponding issues (link to buy the issue)

In Print
Most of the periodicals held by the Family History Library, the National Library of Scotland, and smaller libraries or family history societies are only available in print. Journals are available from the societies that publish them. Major archives with genealogical collections have copies of many journals, especially those for the area they serve.

A good resource for finding Scottish periodicals is:


 * Current Periodicals in the National Library of Scotland. Edinburgh, Scotland: National Library of Scotland, 1987-. This is a bibliography of Scottish periodicals. It is available on microfiche at the Family History Library.

Many English local and family history societies include sections about Scottish research in their publications. There are also genealogically oriented periodicals which are not associated with family history societies. These may also contain information on Scottish records and research.

A good resource for finding periodicals in England and Scotland is:


 * Ulrich’s International Periodicals Directory. New York: Bowker, 1932-. This directory gives the subscription, address, and name for many journals.

The Family History Library subscribes to many journals published by family history societies and magazines published independently. If you know the title, use the Author/Title Search of the FamilySearch Catalog to find it. To find other journals, use the the Place Search. look under SCOTLAND or SCOTLAND - [COUNTY] then under one of the following subjects:


 * PERIODICALS


 * SOCIETIES - PERIODICALS


 * GENEALOGY - PERIODICALS


 * HISTORY - PERIODICALS