What types of articles do journals publish?

1. TYPES OF ARTICLES JOURNALS PUBLISH A guide for early career researchers

2. Publish or Perish As a researcher, you are expected to start publishing early in your career. Not having any publications to your credit could jeopardize your future prospects. But original research could take years to complete! Don’t worry, this does not mean that you have to wait to publish a paper until you complete your research.

3. Publish, don’t Perish Did you know? An original article is not the only way in which you can disseminate your research. Learning more about the different types of scholarly literature will help you choose the most suitable format for publishing your study.

4. Types of scholarly literature Primary literature Secondary literature Is based on previously published studies Requires original research Usually discusses or summarizes primary literature Deals with a very current, highly specialized topic • Examples • Monographs (books dealing with a specific area of research in the sciences) • Review articles (literature reviews, systematic reviews) • Examples • Theses/Dissertations • Conference proceedings • Technical reports • Original research articles Now let us look at some of these in detail.

5. Original research articles Characteristics of original research articles A type of primary literature Include a hypothesis, background study, methods, results and their interpretation, discussion, and conclusion Have a definite structure Could range from 3,000 to 6,000, even 12,000 words Tend to be time-intensive

6. Review articles (1/4) Characteristics of review articles A type of secondary literature Offer an efficient way for early-career researchers to begin publishing as well as to establish themselves as critical thinkers Look at published research froma different perspective and analyzeproblems in published data Provide an overview of existing literature in the field Are usually lengthy, around 3,000-5,000 words, or more, depending on the journal

7. Review articles (2/4) Types of review articles – Literature reviews LITERATURE REVIEWS • Provide a critical summary of all published studies on a particular topic • Analyzespecific issues, identify trends, or point out research gaps in existing literature • Can be published as part of an original article or as standalone papers

8. Review articles (3/4) Types of review articles – Systematic reviews SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS • Are more structured and rigorous than literature reviews • Address a clearly formulated question about the literature reviewed • Include reviews of published studies as well as gray literature (unpublished studies, reports, dissertations, conference papers and abstracts, governmental research, ongoing clinical trials, etc.)

9. Review articles (4/4) Types of review articles – Meta-analyses META-ANALYSES • Use statistical methods to integrate estimates of effect from independent but similar studies and summarize them • Collate measures from many similar studies instead of relying on measures derived from a single study • Are often part of systematic reviews

10. Clinical case studies Characteristics of clinical case studies A type primary literature Present details of real patient cases from medical or clinical practice Require a lot of practical experience and may not be a suitable publication format for early career researchers Are expected to discuss the signs, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of a disease Usually have a word count similar to that of an original article

11. Clinical trials A type of primary literature Characteristics of clinical trials Usually medical or clinical studies on human volunteers; these investigations follow a pre-determined research protocol Can be of two broad types: Observational (investigators observe the participants) Interventional (participants receive specific treatments or interventions) Around the same length as an original research article Require practical work experience as well as high standards of ethics and reliability – they are more useful for experienced researchers

12. Perspectives, opinions, or commentary Characteristics of perspective, opinion, and commentary articles Types of secondary literature • Scholarly reviews of fundamental concepts or prevalent ideas in a field • Short essays (roughly 2,000 words) that present a personal viewpoint or critique established notions pertaining to a field PERSPECTIVE ARTICLES OPINION PIECES • Include an author’s viewpoint on the interpretation, analysis, or methods used in a study • Relatively short articles based on constructive criticism that is supported by evidence COMMENTARY ARTICLES • Short articles (around 1,000-1,500 words) • Discuss previously published work, explaining how it might be of interest to readers

13. Book reviews Characteristics of book reviews A type of secondary literature Intended to provide insights into and opinions on recently published scholarly books Published in most academic journals A good publication option for early-career researchers Expected to be unbiased

14. Other types of articles Letters/Communications Brief descriptions of critical research findings (not the same as Letters to the Editor) Technical reports Present the results of a project, which could be published before the corresponding full-length original article Conference proceedings A collection of scholarly papers presented at academic conferences – often considered important gray literature, which may or may not be published Data papers Articles dedicated to describe datasets Video articles An emerging format wherein a novel technique is demonstrated on video and a detailed textual description follows

15. How to choose the right format for your research Here are some tips to help you choose the right format for your research. • Know that the types of publications are different in different fields. Example: • Medicine > Clinical trials • Social sciences > Empirical study • Remember that not all journals publish all types of articles. • Lookat the journal’s author guidelines for details about the types of articles accepted. • Speakto your supervisors or senior colleagues for advice.

16. GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR PAPER!

17. Sources (1/2) • 6 Article types that journals publish: A guide for early career researchers [Accessed August 10, 2015] Available from http://www.editage.com/insights/6-article-types-that-journals-publish-a-guide-for-early-career-researchers • A young researcher's guide to writing an original research article [Accessed August 10, 2015] Available from http://www.editage.com/insights/a-young-researchers-guide-to-writing-an-original-research-article • A young researcher's guide to writing a literature review [Accessed August 10, 2015] Available from http://www.editage.com/insights/a-young-researchers-guide-to-writing-a-literature-review • A young researcher's guide to writing a clinical case report [Accessed August 10, 2015] Available from http://www.editage.com/insights/a-young-researchers-guide-to-writing-a-clinical-case-report • A young researcher's guide to a clinical trial [Accessed August 10, 2015] Available fromhttp://www.editage.com/insights/a-young-researchers-guide-to-a-clinical-trial • Scientific journal [Accessed August 10, 2015] Available from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_journal#Types_of_articles

18. Sources (2/2) • Scientific literature [Accessed August 10, 2015] Available from http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/BIOS/bio1bscholcomm.html • My instructor wants me to use Primary Literature. What is it and how do I find it? [Accessed August 10, 2015] Available from http://libanswers.library.cpp.edu/a.php?qid=35835 • Proceedings [Accessed August 10, 2015] Available from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proceedings • Conference Proceedings: What Are Conference Proceedings? [Accessed August 10, 2015] Available from http://libguides.gatech.edu/confproc • Technical Report [Accessed August 10, 2015] Available from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technical_report • Technical Reports: Definition [Accessed August 10, 2015] Available from http://libguides.gatech.edu/c.php?g=53991&p=348582 • Illustrations and vectors designed by freepik.com

19. For more useful resources and tips on publication, visit our website www.editage.com/insights Connect with us @EditageInsights