Types of Research Articles for Health Science Journals
The main types of research articles for health science journals are original studies, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, case studies, and qualitative studies.
Research articles are essential to improve on existing knowledge about health science topics. These articles also help in various fields of medical science. Research articles published in health science journals are vital to unearth novel discoveries, expand information on innovations, and highlight best practices.
Many research articles help authors communicate their contribution to health science effectively.
In this guide, we’ll see essential details about different types of research articles for publishing in health science journals. We will see information about the essential elements, features, and aim of such research articles. Authors can get vital information from this guide to maximize the reach and relevance of their health science articles.
Types of Research Articles for Health Science Journals
1. Case studies
Case studies are essential research articles that focus on:
- The presentation of detailed descriptions about a population or clinical cases, and/or
- A deep analysis of select clinical cases or unique patient populations
Case studies provide valid information about rare conditions, novel observations, or unexpected outcomes after an intervention. Most case studies follow a structured format and could include:
- Information about the study background,
- Presentation of patient information,
- Details about patient diagnoses,
- Clear information about intervention (treatment) methods used, and
- Observed outcomes from the patient population or unit case(s) after a defined period
Such articles help contribute vital information to knowledge about healthcare procedures. Case studies also help provide valuable insights about diagnoses and treatments along with their challenges. These research articles could prove vital to deliver revolutionary information about health sciences to experts in the discipline. Information from case studies can also lead to expansive research organized into original articles.
2. Meta-analyses
A meta-analysis is one of the most complex forms of research articles in the health sciences. The analysis is usually a combination of data from different studies put together to develop quantitative findings.
Meta-analyses help researchers present a detailed overview of current knowledge and helps to:
- Provide recommendations based on scientific evidence, and
- Identify gaps in research and proffer superior methods to improve on existing knowledge
The structure of a meta-analysis is flexible and largely depends on the type of research carried out.
3. Systematic reviews
Systematic reviews are sometimes mistaken for meta-analyses, but both research articles have several differences. Review articles of this nature aim to answer specific research questions through structured analyses.
Systematic reviews adopt a design where authors employ thorough search strategies, quality assessments, and stringent inclusion criteria for studies. These reviews usually encompass several studies and can unify existing debates about a particular issue, method, or intervention in health sciences.
4. Original research
Original research are scientific studies that present new findings based on raw data collected by its author(s). These articles generally follow the IMRaD (Introduction, Materials & Methods, Results, and Discussion) structure. Original research articles also contain a Conclusion section and may suggest further research ideas in its concluding pages.
These research articles help contribute novel information to the advancement of health science by:
- Presenting new insights,
- Proposing new tentative statements (hypotheses), and
- Validating existing information in earlier studies
Original research articles may also help define a new perspective to studies about a particular health science issue. Many established practices in healthcare sciences today are products of careful, detailed, and clear presentations in original research articles.
5. Review articles
Review articles offer a critical and usually complete analysis of literature on a health science topic. Many review articles do not require stringent inclusion criteria to conduct research and present findings.
These articles help provide a clear view of information about a certain topic. Review articles also presents a summary of findings and may provide details about novel trends and issues with existing methods from research.
Editors and reviewers usually write these articles, making them valid enough to guide researchers keen to conduct studies about existing issues.
6. Qualitative research
Qualitative research does not require numerical data for analysis in a health science article. These articles employ subjective information to explore issues concerning behaviors, perceptions, and experiences of a select group of individuals from a population.
Qualitative research usually relies on interviews, textual findings, focus groups, and observations for a health science article. These articles provide information about different socio-cultural and contextual elements that affect health science topics.
Such articles can provide detailed information about insights into complex issues difficult to measure with numerical data. Findings from such research can prove useful to understand the:
- experience of patients,
- effectiveness and limitations of health policies, and
- benefits and drawbacks of existing healthcare delivery methods
How to Know the Type of Research Article(s) to Write for Health Science Journals
You need to carefully consider several factors before you choose the type of research article to write for a health science journal. Follow the tips below to know what type of research articles you should write for a health science journal:
- Identify the specific objective of your study
- Consider the appropriate design for your study
- Assess the nature and extent of your findings
- Understand the target audience of the journal
- Familiarize yourself with guidelines and instructions of your target journal
- Evaluate the potential relevance and impact of your research
- Consider the newness and unique nature of your findings
Final Word
Understanding how the types of research articles work is an essential element of your work. It becomes easier to maximize your resources towards creating articles relevant to existing topics or novel research in the health sciences.
Up to six (6) different types of health science articles mean writers need to make the perfect choice. Take advantage of all the information about types of articles to conduct a study with enough valid findings from analyses.
Also, look at information about how to know the types of health science articles to write about in this guide. You’ll be able to get clear details about how to choose the research article best suited for publishing in a preferred health science journal.