Periodical cover date

Periodical cover date refers to the date displayed on the covers of magazines. However, this is not necessarily the true date of publication.

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In the USA the standard practice is to display on magazine covers a date which is some weeks or months in the future from the actual publishing/release date. The reason for this apparent discrepancy is to inform newsstands when an unsold magazine can be removed from the stands and returned to the publisher or be destroyed. Weeklies (such as Time (magazine) and Newsweek) are generally dated a week ahead. Monthlies (such as National Geographic Magazine) are generally dated a month ahead, and quarterlies are generally dated three months ahead.

Related Topics:
Publisher - Time (magazine) - Newsweek - National Geographic Magazine

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In the UK, the cover date usually matches more closely the date of publication, and may indeed be identical where weekly magazines are concerned.

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In both markets, it is rare for monthly magazines to indicate a particular day of the month: thus issues are dated May 2005, and so on, whereas weekly magazines may be dated 17 May 2005.

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