When it comes to journal articles, there are many to choose from. Most people simply think of original research articles when journal articles come up, but these only make up some of the work published. If you want to be more familiar with what is published in journal articles, it’s important to note that the research process results in different outputs. Many of these can be published outside of the final research paper.
This article will delve into the different types of journal articles you can write and have published. These include methodologies, original research, case studies, and more.
1. Original Research Articles
As previously mentioned, these are the most common types of articles published in journals. They’re considered primary literature and consist of original findings from research. Original research articles are known as articles, original articles, research articles, or simply as articles. Usually, original research articles are written in a specific format and include sections such as the Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion.
That being said, this isn’t always the appropriate format. Each journal has its requirements and formatting guidelines which should be carefully adhered to when writing and submitting to a particular journal.
2. Methodologies
Methodology articles discuss new tests, procedures, and experimental methods. However,, the method is not entirely new in some cases, but an improved approach to an existing method. These articles are great for spreading new methodologies and exploring currently available methods.
3. Conference Materials
Spreading research is integral, which is why many journals accept conference material supplements. These are usually peer-reviewed, open access, and citable publications. They consist of materials presented at conferences, congresses, and workshops. These may be sorted into categories such as conference abstracts, presentation extracts, and poster extracts.
4. Review Articles
These journal articles consist of comprehensive summaries on specific topics of research and are known as secondary literature. They discuss the field, different perspectives on the ideas within it, and talk about the future of the field and where it is heading. These are popular journal articles and are widely read and cited. In fact, the review articles themselves usually cite at least 100 primary research journal articles.
That being said, it’s important to realize that these articles are usually written once an author has been invited to write by the editor of a journal article. Many journal articles do not accept reviews without invitation, so it’s essential to ensure you have permission to submit the review before spending time writing it.
Meta-Analyses
Meta-analyses are extremely useful review articles that look at all results from previous research on a specific topic. They analyze and sort information to draw conclusions about the entire body of research. In addition to being formal and quantitative, they also use an epidemiological study design.
Literature Reviews
Literature reviews discuss theoretical and methodological contributions to a chosen topic. In addition to current knowledge on the topic, they also discuss substantial findings. As such, they’re immensely helpful for researchers, especially those who want to look at summaries on different topics.
Systematic Reviews
Systematic reviews are different from literature reviews since they don’t focus on a specific topic. Rather, they focus on a specific research question. That being said, they gather and discuss empirical evidence related to the question, and also appraise and synthesize such material. Since the evidence used is empirical and the outcome has to be reliable, systematic reviews minimize bias and use methods that are increase reliability.
5. Letters and Short Reports
These are letters to editors and short reports on original data that journal editors think will be useful to other researchers. Also called brief communications, one of the reasons for these works is to encourage further research. However, they consist of limited space and are most useful for short, time-sensitive pieces such as medical research.
Letters to editors are also known as discussions and replies. These comment on topical issues related to studies or other works published in the journal. While commentaries are similar, they’re not as short. They’re more in-depth and specifically respond to recently published articles.
6. Case Studies
Case studies discuss specific cases instead of general ideas. They usually focus on a few individuals and write about instances to make others aware of them. Case studies are very common in medical research since they discuss rare or emerging illnesses. These are also called clinical case studies and case reports and consist of symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and even follow-ups.
While some believe these are limited to unusual cases, this is not true. Many case reports describe standard cases as well. However, one thing all researchers should remember is that the participation of humans necessitates written and informed consent before collecting and disseminating research.
7. Clinical Studies
Clinical studies are different from clinical case studies. They’re much more comprehensive and are more like original research reports. However, they focus on detailed methods and results from clinical trials. One of the most important things to remember when submitting clinical studies to a journal is to include clinical trial registration dates and numbers. These are integral and usually included in the methods section and the abstract.
These are some of the most popular journal article that academic journals publish. Hopefully, discussing these different journal article types helped you conclude which type of article is best suited for your research. To further improve your work, use Edit911’s journal article editing services. Reach out to us here to get started.
