Scientific literature

Scientific literature encompasses a vast body of academic papers that spans various disciplines within the natural and social sciences. It primarily consists of academic papers that present original empirical research and theoretical contributions. These papers serve as essential sources of knowledge and are commonly referred to simply as “the literature” within specific research fields.

For information about journal article databases, and abstract and indexing services, see List of academic databases and search engines.

The process of academic publishing involves disseminating research findings to a wider audience. Researchers submit their work to reputable journals or conferences, where it undergoes rigorous evaluation by experts in the field. This evaluation, known as peer review, ensures the quality, validity, and reliability of the research before it becomes part of the scientific literature. Peer-reviewed publications contribute significantly to advancing our understanding of the world and shaping future research endeavors.

Original scientific research first published in scientific journals constitutes primary literature. Patents and technical reports, which cover minor research results and engineering and design efforts, including computer software, are also classified as primary literature.

Secondary sources comprise review articles that summarize the results of published studies to underscore progress and new research directions, as well as books that tackle extensive projects or comprehensive arguments, including article compilations.

Tertiary sources encompass encyclopedias and similar works designed for widespread public consumption.

Scientific articles published in

scientific journals

Patents in the relevant subject (for example, and chemical patents)

biological patents

Books wholly written by one author or a few co-authors

where each chapter is the responsibility of a different author or group of authors, while the editor is responsible for determining the scope of the project, keeping the work on schedule, and ensuring consistency of style and content

Edited volumes

presentations at , especially those organized by learned societies

academic conferences

reports such as a forensic investigation conducted by a government agency such as the NTSB

Government

Scientific publications on the (although e.g. scientific journals are now commonly published on the web)

World Wide Web

Books, , pamphlets, and working papers issued by individual researchers or research organizations on their own initiative; these are sometimes organized into a series.

technical reports

The title attracts readers' attention and informs them about the contents of the article. Titles are distinguished into three main types: declarative titles (state the main conclusion), descriptive titles (describe a paper's content), and interrogative titles (challenge readers with a question that is answered in the text).^[10] Some journals indicate, in their instructions to authors, the type (and length) of permitted titles.

[9]

The names and affiliations of all authors are given. In the wake of some cases, publishers often require that all co-authors know and agree on the content of the article.^[11]

scientific misconduct

An summarizes the work (in a single paragraph or in several short paragraphs) and is intended to represent the article in bibliographic databases and to furnish subject metadata for indexing services.

abstract

The context of previous scientific investigations should be presented, by citation of relevant documents in the existing literature, usually in a section called an "Introduction".

Empirical techniques, laid out in a section usually called "Materials and Methods", should be described in such a way that a subsequent scientist, with appropriate knowledge of and experience in the relevant field, should be able to repeat the observations and know whether he or she has obtained the same result. This naturally varies between subjects, and does not apply to mathematics and related subjects.

Similarly, the results of the investigation, in a section usually called "Results", should be presented in tabular or graphic form (, chart, schematic, diagram or drawing). These display elements should be accompanied by a caption and should be discussed in the text of the article.

image

Interpretation of the meaning of the results is usually addressed in a "Discussion" or "Conclusions" section. The conclusions drawn should be based on the new empirical results while taking established knowledge into consideration, in such a way that any reader with knowledge of the field can follow the argument and confirm that the conclusions are sound. That is, acceptance of the conclusions must not depend on personal , rhetorical skill, or faith.

authority

Finally, a "References" or "Literature Cited" section lists the sources cited by the authors.

Honesty. Honesty and integrity is a duty of each author and person, expert-reviewer and member of journal editorial boards.

[14]

[16]

[13]

The transfer of copyright from author to publisher, used by some journals, can be controversial because many authors want to propagate their ideas more widely and re-use their material elsewhere without the need for permission. Usually an author or authors circumvent that problem by rewriting an article and using other pictures. Some publishers may also want publicity for their journal so will approve facsimile reproduction unconditionally; other publishers are more resistant.

In terms of research publications, a number of key issues include and are not restricted to:^[13]

Acknowledgment index

Citation index

Digital object identifier

Grey literature

Open access (publishing)

Research paper mill

Scientific communication

UKSG

(1990) "A brief history of the mathematical literature" from American Mathematical Society.