Types of Articles for Publication
Journals seek to publish at least eight (8) articles for public access. The types of articles for publication usually are peer-reviewed or follow a defined template set by publishers. Some of the major types of articles for publication include:
1. Research articles
Most papers for publication are research articles. These articles clearly address a stated question that made research necessary. Some research articles also aim to test a hypothesis to provide answers to a research question or show proof of a superior argument.
Research articles aimed to test hypotheses usually test such arguments with empirical tools and reliable procedures. These articles usually have a solid question as their basis and has ties to the subject topic.
A strong research question in such articles will help you select a suitable design and define population and sampling parameters to conduct your analysis. The research question(s) in these articles also helps you choose the right instruments to measure and analyze unprocessed information.
Other elements the research question(s) must possess in such articles include:
- Relevance to the journal’s specialty area, and
- An ability to elicit wide scientific interest in the topic,
These articles should expand on existing research or provide novel insight into relevant topics.
2. Briefs
Brief reports are increasingly common across journals since many readers are not native English speakers. Such reports favor brief observations that show results or a complete process or study. These reports may contain display graphs and other information to make it easy for all readers to understand.
Many briefs also come with a detailed Materials and Methods section to reflect the entire process carried out during research. Most brief reports are within 3000 and 4000 words and may contain fewer words based on some journal guidelines.
3. Methodology articles
Methodology articles present novel experimental information about a technique, process, or test. Such articles aim to describe these new methods or provide explicit information about existing techniques.
Methodology articles usually aim to show an improvement from currently available information to develop existing methods. New scientific research can cite these articles directly during publication reviews when their article adopts these new techniques.
There is no defined template for methodology articles but they should relate to a research paper and contain many of its essential sections.
4. Review articles
Review articles aim to provide a summary of published information about an important subject. These articles are quite similar to articles with research intent but have some slight differences.
The unit of analysis for most research articles are usually not members of any community but are published reports. Reviews usually have:
- a defined design and topic,
- clear selection guidelines for elements in the study,
- detailed strategy to source information, and
- a straightforward, easy analysis.
Most review articles also give authors an opportunity to exclude sources and the reason for such exclusion. Review articles are either quantitative or qualitative and authors usually consider the statistical methods used in such papers based on these parameters.
These articles are different from opinion pieces and follow the standard Introduction, Methodology, Results, and Discussion (IMRaD) format.
5. Perspective articles
Perspectives, or ‘Perspectives about quality’ papers aim to offer an avenue where experts in a field can give opinions about topics. Such papers also allow researcher submit their novel ideas, reflect on published works, and proffer new approaches to an existing problem.
Most research, sociopolitical, and historical analysis can come as perspective articles. They aim not to define but challenge and improve existing knowledge with new or superior information. Perspective articles usually have a flexible structure and there is no defined minimum word count for such papers.
6. Case Report
Medical health journals usually publish case reports. These reports show details of:
- Signs,
- Symptoms,
- Diagnoses,
- Interventions (treatment types), and
- Outcomes
Case reports usually deal with detailed information about one or more subjects (patients). Such reports aim to provide as much data as possible on different aspects of a novel condition. It may also be necessary to report new medical interventions into an existing condition or aim to discover new diagnostics.
Case reports do not follow the common IMRaD structure of many articles; it adopts the IDDC template:
- Introduction,
- Details of Case (Case Description),
- Discussions,
- Conclusion
Most case reports usually have over 2500 words and may include graphical information to describe details in the article. Case reports also have an Abstract section and must include keywords relevant to the study.
Authors of such reports must receive express permission from participants before submitting the study for publishing in a journal. Case reports are published when you present the filled and signed consent form along with other information to related journals. Some researchers loosely related case reports to quality in practice (QIP) papers.
7. Hypothesis
Hypotheses articles aim to introduce new tentative statements or provide a new angle to interpret an existing theory. A hypothesis article should have a:
- correct presentation of existing hypothesis tested with a different, applicable, and valid instrument,
- new interpretation of existing hypothetical statements to shed more light on existing arguments,
- novel data related to the existing hypothesis that may influence earlier studies, and
- presentation of testable statements along with opinions and insights from reputable authorities
New hypotheses should follow the structure of a research article; however, the paper could follow a different format if it contains no novel information. Any kind of hypothesis article should include:
- An abstract,
- Keywords,
- Introduction,
- Important sections (any of Problem Statement, Materials/Methods, Discussion, Interpretation, etc.), and
- Conclusion or concluding remarks
Hypothesis articles should be no more than 4,000 words but you can follow the guidelines of your preferred publisher.
8. Essays
Essays are different from opinions and commonly come from authors in the Social Sciences or Humanities. These articles aim to present pressing arguments to help elicit debates of certain topics. The structure of such articles is quite similar to that of a review but do not necessary need scientific analysis for publishing. Essays usually have a 4000-word minimal count and must have relevant citations supporting all arguments.