Elements of a Scientific Publication

1.1 Types of Scientific Publications
1.2 Components of Scientific Publications
1.2.1 Abstract
1.2.2 Text
1.2.3 Other Requirements
1.3 Structure and XML Tagging

1.1 TYPES OF SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS

Scientific publications take myriad forms, typically that of a scholarly journal or book. The basis for the development of knowledge in the sciences is the original research report, describing observational or experimental investigations of some phenomenon of interest. A review article attempts to answer a particular question by analyzing in aggregate the results of previously published research. A systematic approach to the review helps to ensure that the conclusions reached are supported by the data; hence, systematic reviews may include meta-analysis, "a set of statistical techniques that combine quantitative results from independent studies". Methodological articles describe new methodological approaches or modifications of existing ones but do not report original data. Journal editorials offer a forum for expert opinion, usually on a narrow topic (e.g., providing additional context or interpretation for an article appearing in the same issue). The letters to the editor section of a journal affords readers the opportunity to respond to articles that have been published. Like journal articles, scholarly books may report original research or review the literature, but the subject of a book will be broader or treated in more depth than is possible in an article. See Section 27.7.5 for additional description of research articles, reviews, and editorials.

The editor, associate or assistant editors, and/or editorial board of a journal determine the scope of the journal's content and the categories of articles that will be considered for publication. This information is usually made available to prospective authors in the instructions for authors section of the journal, on the journal's website, or in the publisher's style manual. Authors should use such statements of scope to select the target journal for their publications and thereby avoid delay that may result from submission to an inappropriate journal.

1.2 COMPONENTS OF SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS

The basic components of an original research article (introduction, methods, results, and discussion [IMRAD]) have become well established, but just as journal editors specify the scope of content and types of articles that will appear in their journals, they may also outline how each type of article should be organized. This information forms an important part of a journal's instructions for authors. Therefore, once the target journal has been identified, authors should consult and follow the journal's instructions, again to avoid unnecessary delay. Such guidelines impose structure within a document, and this structure has important benefits for readers, including other researchers.

1.2.1 Abstract

As noted in Section 27.7.1.4, both the National Information Standards Organization (NISO) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) stipulate that an abstract should be published with every journal article, essay, and discussion. An abstract helps readers to decide whether the article is of interest; as such, its content must reflect the content of the article as closely as possible, within the length available. Most journals specify in their instructions for authors how an abstract is to be organized. The use of a structured format (with formal headings) is one way to ensure that all pertinent information from the article appears in the abstract. The American Medical Association Manual of Style provides detailed information on abstracts for medical articles, including structured abstracts.

The presence and quality of an abstract has become increasingly important in scientific publications. Abstracting and indexing databases such as Thomson Reuters' BIOSIS, Elsevier's Scopus (http://www .scopus .com), PubMed (http://www .ncbi.nlm.nih .gov /pubmed /), and EBSCO (http://www .ebsco .com) are a few of the common services available to publishers wanting to expand the reach of a publication within the scientifi c community. Registration with an abstracting service can increase a publication's exposure and citation by making abstracts easily searchable and available to the public.

1.2.2 Text

The text of an article should follow the outline specified in the journal's instructions for authors. For research articles, this will usually be some variation on the IMRAD form along with a references section, but authors should note any variations requested by the journal. The organization of other types of articles is much more variable.

The methods section is particularly important for allowing a reader to assess whether the study results are pertinent to his or her own work, either research or application. As such, it must include sufficient detail to allow another researcher to repeat the experiment. The following is a general checklist of the types of information that should be included:

1) for biological studies, unambiguous identification of genus, species, and strain; the source of any organisms...