I don't like the way they work. While I don't mind the concept of temporary buffs from drugs or food for physical performance enhancement, the concept of temporary unlocks in the skill tree, based on the implication that my memory is like a sieve letting learned information slip through after 30 minutes, is rather unappealing and (buzzword incoming: ) immersion breaking to me.
Pair that with the new schematics as a crafting ingredient concept.
The schematics are still one-use (or in case of armor mods few-use) and then there's no need to gather them anymore, so they put in these magazines.
In my opinion the magazines are a cheap attempt at making bookstores/ book loot have some long term purpose after removing the original schematics system. I don't think there was anything wrong with the old system, where after a while you would not loot bookstores anymore and move on to other loot locations/ sources. It just doesn't work for me. I don't like fiddling around with magazines and planning to carry some around for specific situations. If I unlock a skill I want to keep a skill. And keeping them for trading isn't that great either because again inventory management and rather low profit.
At least they left in the option to scrap them for paper.
Suggestion to the devs: One way this magazine nonsense might become somewhat valueable to the broad masses and even better streamlined:
Scratch the idea of having 47 different magazines (saving our inventory space and reducing the number of items for the game to load) and turn them into one generic "stack of well preserved literature". Make said new item a very rare drop, that upon use will grant the player a juicy amount of xp. They become an alternative way to level up and unlock skills. Guess there could be a few different tiers with different xp values given.
Can't believe I'm actually making a suggestion like this, but I can't think of a better solution, that wouldn't completely revert the new leveling system TFP introduced.