What Is a Scientific Article?

Scientific articles, also known as scientific papers, are research papers usually published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. They represent a formal type of academic writing defined by an objective attempt to identify and solve scientific questions while adding new scientific knowledge and providing a credible record or method of the process.

A scientific article typically follows the IMRaD format — Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion. This format was developed for scientific writing over several decades to ensure that scientific reporting and experiments were easy to produce, read, critique, and replicate. 

In this article, we discuss what a scientific article is, how it differs from other types of formal writing, and the appropriate structure for a scientific article. 

Scientific research can only be communicated through the publication of scientific articles.

The definition of a scientific article 

A scientific article, also known as a scientific paper, is a published report that describes original research. A scientific article differs from other forms of organic writing in that it has to be original and it has to be officially published, typically in a peer-reviewed journal. That’s not all. There are several other criteria that a scientific article must follow. All of these criteria are listed below:

• It has to be peer-reviewed

• It has to be published in a reputable journal

• It has to be reproducible

• It has to contain complete information

A scientific article or a research article must satisfy all these criteria to be rightfully called a scientific paper. It’s not enough for a paper to be published. Conference reports, abstracts, white papers, and other forms of gray literature are often published. But that does not make them scientific articles. Let’s examine more closely each of the elements that make up a scientific paper.

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1. It has to include complete information 

A scientific paper must have complete information. This is to put to rest any doubt of regarding the integrity of your research. The observations made in the course of your scientific research should be properly assessed by your peers. Also, there has to be enough information that makes it possible to test and even repeat your experiment if necessary, which I will go into in more detail later.

Besides this, there should also be sufficient information to test and evaluate both methodological and intellectual processes. This means, for example, asking:

1. Is the literature review thorough enough to justify the research questions or hypotheses? 

2. Is our methodology rigorous and logical enough to support your results? 

3. Are your interpretation of results within the bounds of reason? 

This means that you should include an up-to-date literature review that discusses all aspects of the problem that you are investigating and you need to clearly show that the literature review is directly connected to the hypotheses or research questions that underpin your experiment. You should also include a complete record of your methodological procedures. 

Lastly, in your interpretation of the results, ensure that you demonstrate the logical link or intellectual process between your explanation and teh actual recorded results. In short, do not overinterpret. In the absence of complete information, your scientific report may lack credibility. 

2. It has to be reproducible

Repeatability is one of the cornerstones of science. Researchers need to make sure that the methodology applied in their experiment is credible and can easily be repeated by anyone who wishes to challenge or test their process. If the process being followed fails to produce the same results, then that would leave questions as to the validity of your research.  

3. It has to be peer-reviewed

The peer-review process is critical to hold up the credibility and validity of your research. Peer review is a process where anonymously chosen and qualified scientists are chosen to read over and judge the scientific merit of your work. This process is what makes scientific articles stand out from other academic papers. Without a proper peer-review process, your paper cannot be verified as being good enough for publication and public consumption.  

4. It has to be published

Publication is the final step of teh scientific process. A scientific report that has not been published cannot be described as a scientific article. It is like the question of a tree falling in the forest — If a tree falls in the forest and there’s no one to hear it, does it make a sound? 

So it is with scientific articles. If a scientific article has been published in a reputable and peer-reviewed academic journal, it cannot be called a scientific article. 

The importance of scientific articles

Scientific articles are the means by which scientific progress and knowledge advance. Scientific research can be properly described as a public good. When done well, scientific articles represent original research and the production of new knowledge. This new knowledge may have significant benefits for both modern industry and the general public. These benefits may take the form of either health and technological benefits. 

In fact, the number of scientific papers published by a country is often used as a standard for scientific/economic achievements. However, when it comes to scientific research, much funding is required. Research funding often depends on whether or not academic professionals can successfully publish scientific articles. So, let’s take a look at who needs to publish scientific articles.

The importance of publishing scientific articles are listed below:

1. Scientific article publication is needed to make scientific breakthroughs

Science ideally is about the production of new knowledge that leads to human advancement. This is knowledge that is built upon published research. The only way for scientific breakthroughs to occur is to have researchers constantly publishing new research that produces new knowledge that other researchers can use, challenge, or build upon to build even more new knowledge. 

2. Scientific article publication is a training ground for new researchers.

PhD students typically have to publish theses or dissertations that include several scientific papers that have to be published in peer-reviewed journals. The publication of these papers is proof that these young researchers are competent enough to participate in the production of new scientific knowledge. 

3. Scientific publication is needed for funding and career promotion

Scientific research requires funding, and the competition is tough. Organizations that provide this funding often come up with rigid criteria to reduce the pool of researchers. This means that to qualify for research, you need to have a record of published papers in peer-reviewed journals. The more papers you’ve published in top-tier journals, the greater the likelihood of qualifying for funding. 

This process is also closely related to career promotion. Promotion for professors often include among other criteria, the number of papers they have published. The more papers you’ve published in prestigious journals, the more likely you are to be promoted, all things considered. 

Figure 1. This shows the importance of publishing scientific articles to support and sustain the creation of new scientific knowledge. 

In short, science is a process that relies on a steady stream of new scientific papers or articles that build new knowledge on top of previously published research. Figure 2 helps illustrate the process. 

The different types of scientific articles

Scientific articles come in a variety of formats. However, here we concern ourselves with the type of scientific article that is typically published in a scientific journal. There are typically five types of articles. Let’s take a look at each in turn.

1. Original research article

These scientific reports involve original research. They include the classic IMRaD structure— introduction, methods, results, and discussion. The introduction includes the background and scope of the problem, The method describes the methodology involved in collecting data, and the results are the outcomes. Lastly, the discussion includes the importance of your findings. One of the most important aspects of original research is repeatability. The experiment should be designed or carried out in such a way that it can be easily replicated with the same results. 

2. Review article

A review article is a survey paper that reviews the literature on a specific topic. It is often described as a “state-of-the-art” review of the latest and most relevant papers that have been published on a topic. A review article starts with a rigorous methodology to select relevant papers. Papers are judged on their credibility and other criteria, such as the journal in which they were published, the rigor of their method, and so on. 

These papers are analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively to come up with new insights on a topic or how a topic is covered. The process used to select review articles is called PRISMA (i.e., Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses).

3. Case study

A case study relies on one or a handful of cases to analyze. This type of study is usually associated with business or management topics. For example, the implementation of a PR or advertising campaign of the company may be studied for analysis. Also, case studies can be frequent in the medical field. Doctors may provide a case study of unique medical cases that other medical professionals may be interested in. 

4. Methodology article

A methodology article analyzes the methods used in a research process. It usually focuses on critiquing current methodologies or synthesizing new methodologies from old ones. In the process, a methodology article can either look at several published papers or critique the methodology used in these papers. Researchers writing such an article could also carry out their original study to show how a new methodology could be effective or superior to previous ones.

5. Theory/Perspective article

A theory or perspective article focuses on the theories that underlie research papers in a specific field. Like methodology papers, they attempt to synthesize new theories from current theories being used in a specific field of study. 

The structure and style of a scientific article

A scientific paper, especially the type that is published in a journal typically follows the IMRaD format. IMRaD stands for Introduction, Methods, Results, and Analysis. Most journal papers make use of this format to present your research. The structure of scientific papers typically follows IMRaD because IMRaD is easy to follow and read for both researchers and their peers and the common reader. 

In addition, the style and format of journal papers are usually formal and governed by strict formatting standards. Styles may vary depending on the journal but may be based on academic style guides such as APA or CMoS. 

The IMRaD format

The IMRAD format was developed over several decades in the twentieth century to streamline scientific communication for both other scientists and members of the interested public. It is popular because it is an easy template for researchers and scientists presenting research to follow, in addition to being accessible to readers.

Each section of the IMRaD format tries to answer a question. This is illustrated in the table below: 

Research paper sections	Questions addressed in research paper sections
Introduction	What question or problem was studied and why?
Methodology	How was the problem investigated?
Results	What were the findings?
Discussion	What do the findings mean?

 Here is what should be included in each section of IMRaD. 

1. Introduction

The introduction tries to answer what problem was studied and why. It includes the following:

• The scope of the problem

• The definition of the problem

• A hypothesis

• A review of the literature 

The introduction takes a funnel approach. This means it begins with the broad context of the problem and then narrows down to the specific part of the problem that you are trying to solve with your study. In the introduction, you have to make a case as to why the problem you are investigating is relevant. For example, you can show how it affects the wider society. This will be the scope and definition of the problem.

With the hypotheses, this is where you get the chance to narrow things down to a scale where they can be scientifically investigated. Your hypothesis should be based on a sound and thorough reading of the literature.

2. Methods

In the method section, you try to answer how the problem was investigated. You should clearly describe how you collect data and the instruments that you used to do so. This is key. As mentioned earlier, one of the cornerstones of a scientific article is repeatability. The methods section is where you show that your research can be repeated with the same results. Therefore, your method section should be written and described carefully.

3. Results

In the results section, you present your findings. Findings should be presented in a clear and unbiased manner. With the results section, you have to decide how best to present the results without being overwhelming or leaving out information. Judicious use of tables to present data is a good idea. If the data is too large, think of including tables in the index of your article. 

4. Discussion

In the discussion, you explain what the findings mean. You should not exaggerate the importance of your findings. Instead, you place it within the wider context in terms of its contribution to society, industry, or your field of research. 

However, not all journals follow this format. Some journals require your literature review to be part of the introduction. Others require that it has its own separate section. Sometimes, results and discussions are joined as one in some journals. Lastly, for certain scientific journals, the methods section is often included at the end of the article. 

Figure 2. The four-part IMRaD process.

The academic style requirements of a scientific article

By academic style, I mean the rules in terms of spelling, punctuation, formatting, and references that should be consistently applied to a manuscript. Every journal has strict guidelines in terms of the style guide that should be followed. To ensure that you don’t run afoul of your journal’s style guide, please do the following:

• Read the author guidelines carefully

• Consult sample papers to make sure you are following instructions well

• Email the editor of the journal in case of any confusion after reading the author's guidelines

However, it would be best to familiarize yourself with the fundamentals of academic style when it comes to research.  There are various reference guidelines or formats to follow depending on your field of research. For more details on publishing a scientific paper, please read this article: How to Publish a Scientific Paper.

If you are in the field of psychology and social sciences, then the American Psychological Association (or APA) is most likely to be the reference style guide you follow. In the field of clinical medicine, the American Medical Association (or AMA) is the most popular style. In fields of study, such as history and law, the Chicago Manual of Style (CMoS) is usually adhered to.

Style guides such as the APA and CMoS do not simply provide guidelines on how to format references and citations, they also provide general rules for scientific and academic writing in general. So, it would do you good to get yourself a copy of these rule books to have a fair idea of what is required of you as a scientific writer.

Final thoughts

Scientific articles are the cornerstone of credible science. Conducting actual research is of course important. But that research can only be called science after it has been published. Publishing a research paper is not enough though. A research article needs to meet a certain set of criteria before it can be considered as a scientific article:

• It has to follow the IMRaD format

• It has to be clearly written and easy to read by other scientific researchers in the field

• It has to be repeatable

• It has to be published in a reputable peer-reviewed journal

More importantly, scientific articles are essential for supporting scientific research in general. Scientific breakthroughs can only be achieved by building on a reliable pipeline of valid peer-reviewed research that is easily accessible by fellow researchers.

So as a researcher, you should focus on being up-to-date on the latest research. This means knowing how to navigate high-value indexes such as Scopus and the Web of Sciences to locate the best research and learn from it as inspiration for your work.

Frequently asked questions

1. Where can I find scientific journal articles for free?

One of the most effective ways to ensure that you write a scientific article to the standards required of your target journal is using a template. This means using an example manuscript of a scientific journal article from the target journal. There are many ways to access sample papers.

Some journals provide an example of their sample paper in the author guidelines. Other journals allow you to access articles for free. You could simply download the PDF version of an article and follow its format and outline while writing your manuscript.

However, there are some journals where all articles are behind a paywall. So how do you get a journal article for free in these circumstances:

1. You can access it through your university. Many universities allow you to access many journals for free through your university ID login. 

2. You can use Research Gate. Research Gate is a website that allows academics to upload PDFs of published papers that other interested scholars can access for free. 

3. You can directly message the authors of the paper. If none of the first two options are available, then you can think of directly corresponding with the author of the article that you are interested in. They often have no problem with directly providing the PDF of their research paper. In most scientific articles, the corresponding author and their email address are usually indicated at the top of the article page. 

Free articles are crucial to writing a proper literature review for your paper, as well as providing a sample or template that you could follow. By template, I don’t just mean a format to follow. It also means a template to follow in terms of logic and argument. 

2. Are “journal article” and “research article” the same? 

There is some confusion about what is meant by a journal article versus a research article. A research article can be many things. It can be a white paper, a college essay, a conference paper, or other form of gray literature. 

Gray literature can be described as research articles that have been written but do not qualify for being called research articles because of any one of several reasons:

• They lack a rigorous methodology

• They lack peer-review

• They have not been published in reputable journals

In short, a journal article is a research article that has been peer-reviewed and published in a reputable journal. A research article, on the other hand, refers to a much wider range of academic writing that may not be able to pass the peer-review process. 

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Antoine, M. (2024, July 25). What Is a Scientific Article? https://www.eminentediting.com/post/what-is-a-scientific-article