Common types of scientific articles:
Primary Research Articles video by University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries.
Peer-reviewed (or refereed) journals contain articles written by experts that are reviewed by other experts in the field for quality before publication. All peer-reviewed journals are scholarly but not all scholarly journals are peer-reviewed.
Source: Oakland University Libraries. (n.d.). Peer reviewed sources: The peer review process. https://research.library.oakland.edu/sp/subjects/tutorial.php?faq_id=262
Preprint is a draft of a research paper before peer review and publication in a journal.
Postprint is a draft of a research paper after peer review but before publication in a journal.
Published is the final version of a research paper published in a journal.
Source: Preprint, postprint, published. (n.d.) In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preprint
Source: Haywood, A. (2017, December 11). Five differences between a research paper and a review paper. Editage Insights. https://doi.org/10.34193/EI-IG-5920
Research articles in scientific journals present the original data and findings of the researchers involved in the experiment or study. (example)
These primary articles usually include sections for Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion (IMRaD format) to match the scientific method.
It is important to understand which sections of a research article contain useful information to save time and effort. The order in which to read the sections is determined by the project. For example, a student researching a topic should start with the introduction while a scientist designing an experiment should start with the methods.
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Title gives the primary keywords (often as technical jargon) describing the research and reflects the core contents of the article. It appears as part of the article details.
Article details usually include these pieces of information:
Terminology:
UAB PREFIX = http://uab.idm.oclc.org/login?url= [required for off campus access to restricted content]
DOI PREFIX = https://doi.org/
DOI = 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007357
UAB HYPERLINKED DOI = http://uab.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0007357
Abstract gives a brief overview of the article.
Abstracts usually include these pieces of information:
Terminology:
Introduction (or background) gives background information about the topic and states the research question.
Introductions usually include these pieces of information:
Introductions reveal the purpose of the research starting broadly then narrowing down to a specific question (inverted pyramid).
Source: Regoniel, P. A. (2014, March 7). How to write a good
thesis introduction: From general to specific. Simply Educate Me.
https://simplyeducate.me/2014/03/07/writing-a-thesis-introduction/
Methods (or materials and methods) gives the technical details about how the research was carried out and serves as a blueprint for replication.
Methods usually include these pieces of information:
Results gives the outcomes of the research without interpretation of their meaning.
Results usually include the following information:
Discussion gives the interpretation of the results and implications of the research. Since data may be interpreted in different ways, it is important to remember that the discussion is the opinions of the authors and not necessarily facts.
Discussions usually include these pieces of information:
Conclusion gives a summary of the research especially the major findings and their impact on science. This section may appear as part of the discussion without a heading.
Conclusions usually include these pieces of information:
References gives the sources cited in the article. It may be used to find other references on the topic.
Bibliographic details usually include these pieces of information:
Review articles in scientific journals provide an overview of the field or topic by summarizing and synthesizing the data and findings from many experiments or studies (research articles). (example)
These secondary articles usually include sections for Introduction, Review Topics, and Conclusion. Since review articles do not contain original research, they do not include sections for Methods, Results, and Discussion.
It is important to understand which sections of a review article contain useful information to save time and effort. The order in which to read the sections is determined by the project. For example, a student looking for scientific explanations should start with the introduction while a scientist looking for new research directions should start with the conclusion.
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Title gives the primary keywords describing the field or topic and reflects the core contents of the article. It appears as part of the article details.
Titles of secondary sources usually contain more general keywords compared to the technical jargon in the titles of primary sources.
Article details usually include these pieces of information:
Abstract gives a brief overview of the article.
Abstracts usually include these pieces of information:
Introduction (or background) gives background information about the field or topic and prepares the reader for what will be discussed.
Introductions usually include these pieces of information:
Topics gives a synthesized review of the literature organized by citation patterns and trends.
Review topics usually include these pieces of information:
Conclusion gives the analysis and opinions of the authors based on the literature reviewed and suggestions for future research.
Conclusions usually include these pieces of information:
References gives the sources cited in the article. It may be used to find other references on the topic.
Bibliographic details usually include these pieces of information:
Summary (also called news) articles in scientific journals and magazines and from news sites provide an overview of the data and findings from one experiment or study (research article). (example)
These secondary articles usually include a reference to the primary research article.
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