As a researcher, you are expected to start publishing early in your career. But original research could take years to complete! This does not mean you that you cannot publish a paper until you complete your research. You can disseminate your research in many other ways. These slides will help you learn more about the different types of scholarly literature so that you are able to choose the most suitable format for publishing your study.

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
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.
Did you know?

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

5. Original research articles
A type of primary literature
Characteristics of original research articles
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
Provide an overview of existing
literature in the field
Are usually lengthy, around 3,000-5,000
words, or more, depending on the journal
A type of secondary literature
Look at published research from a different
perspective and analyze problems in published data
Offer an efficient way for early-career researchers to begin publishing as well as
to establish themselves as critical thinkers

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
• Analyze specific 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
A type primary literature
Characteristics of clinical case studies
Present details of real patient cases from
medical or clinical practice
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
Require a lot of practical experience and
may not be a suitable publication format
for early career researchers

11. Clinical trials
Characteristics of clinical trials
Usually medical or clinical studies on human volunteers; these investigations follow
a pre-determined research protocol
Around the same length as an original research article
A type of primary literature
Can be of two broad types:
Observational (investigators observe the participants)
Interventional (participants receive specific treatments
or interventions)
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
Types of secondary literature
Characteristics of perspective, opinion, and commentary articles
• 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
• 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
• Short articles (around 1,000-1,500 words)
• Discuss previously published work, explaining how it
might be of interest to readers
PERSPECTIVE
ARTICLES
OPINION
PIECES
COMMENTARY
ARTICLES

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

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.
1. Know that the types of publications are different in different fields.
Example:
– Medicine > Clinical trials
– Social sciences > Empirical study
2. Remember that not all journals publish all types of articles.
3. Look at the journal’s author guidelines for details about the types of articles
accepted.
4. Speak to 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 from
http://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
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19. www.editage.com/insights
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