Types of Scientific Publications (Papers) PDF

Types of Scientific Publications (Papers) Nehal Emam Lecturer of Pharmacy Practice Sinai University  Publish or Perish As a researcher, you are expected to start publishing early in your career. Not having any publications to your credit could be a proble...

Types of Scientific Publications (Papers) Nehal Emam Lecturer of Pharmacy Practice Sinai University  Publish or Perish As a researcher, you are expected to start publishing early in your career. Not having any publications to your credit could be a problem for your future prospects. But original research could take years to complete! Does this mean you cannot publish a paper until you complete your research? No!  Publish, don’t Perish Did you know? ✓ An original article isn't the only way to share your research. ✓ Learning more about the different types of scholarly literature will help you choose the most suitable format for publishing your study. ✓ Furthermore, you are not required to wait until you have completed your research before publishing!  Types of scholarly literature Primary literature Secondary literature Requires original research Is based on previously published studies Includes observations or comments Usually discusses or summarizes on research that is currently being primary literature and is very useful conducted and has not been reported for readers who are seeking more elsewhere information about a particular topic Examples Examples Original research articles Monographs (books dealing with a Theses/Dissertations specific area of research in the Conference proceedings sciences) Technical reports Literature reviews (or review articles) Now, let us look at some of these in detail.  A) Original research articles What is an original research article? ✓ An original article is the product of original research. “Original research articles are primary sources of scientific literature and present an original study. Authors have to conduct research on a particular topic through experiments, surveys, observation, etc., and report the findings of their study through original research articles.” ✓Also known as EMPIRICAL (experimental) articles. ✓Original manuscript has not been published previously  Original research articles Original research articles are a type of primary literature. Characteristics of original research articles They include a hypothesis, background study, methods, They have a definite results, interpretation of findings, a discussion of structure. possible implications, and a conclusion. They are lengthy – could range from 3,000 to 6,000, even more words. They are time-intensive. They are written by the researchers who actually conducted the study. Research articles are based on this same structure. Can original articles report negative results? YES! The results of a study can be positive (supporting the existing hypothesis about a topic) or negative (proving that the existing hypothesis about a topic is wrong). Negative results are as important as positive results and MUST be published. If your study has produced negative results, do not be afraid to publish them. Check whether your target journal is open to publishing negative results.  B) Review articles (1/4) Review articles are a type of secondary literature. Characteristics of review articles (Literature review) They offer an efficient way for early-career researchers to begin publishing as well as to establish themselves as critical thinkers. They look at published research from a different perspective or analyze problems in published data. They provide an overview of existing literature in the field. They are usually lengthy, between 5,000 and 8,000 words, or more, depending on the journal. May come from books, articles, reports, or others.  Review articles (2/4) Types of review articles – Narrative or Traditional reviews NARRATIVE REVIEWS They provide a critical summary of all published studies on a particular topic. They analyze specific issues, identify trends, or point out research gaps in existing literature and suggest future research. They Describe previous work but do not describe specific methods by which the reviewed studies were identified, selected, and evaluated. Draw conclusions about the topic.  Review articles (3/4) Types of review articles – Systematic reviews SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS They are more structured and rigorous than Narrative reviews. They address a clearly formulated question about the literature reviewed. They include both published studies and gray literature (unpublished studies, reports, dissertations, conference papers and abstracts, governmental research, ongoing clinical trials, etc. Systematic reviews often include a meta- analysis, but not always.  Review articles (4/4) Types of review articles – Meta-analyses META-ANALYSES They use statistical methods to integrate estimates of effect from independent but similar studies and summarize them. They help collate information from many similar studies to achieve more accurate measures instead of relying on measures derived from a single study. They are often part of systematic reviews. Every Meta-analysis is considered a systematic review  Comparisons of types of review articles Feature Narrative Systematic Meta-analysis Coverage Broad Specific question Specific question Methodology of No Yes Yes studies research, inclusion and exclusion Risk of bias Yes No No Comprehensiveness Dependent on Comprehensive Comprehensive the author Include unpublished Not usually Possibly Possibly data Type Qualitative Qualitative and Quantitative Quantitative Hierarchy of Scientific Evidence  C) Cohort studies What is a Cohort? Group of people who share a common characteristic or experience within a defined time. ✓ Age ✓ Occupation ✓ Exposure to a drug or vaccine ✓ Pregnancy ✓ Insured person  Cohort studies (Incidence rate) Cohort study articles are a type of primary literature. Cohort studies: What are they and types? ✓ Cohort studies: are a type of research design that follow groups of people over time (often many years) to determine the frequency of disease among them. ✓ Study proceeds forward from cause to effect. ✓ Factors that cause disease or early signs of disease can be monitored over time. ✓ Cohorts must be free from disease under study. ✓ Cohort studies can be prospective or retrospective  Cohort Studies Disease Exposure Yes No Total Yes a b a+b No c d c+d Total a+c b+d a+b+c +d  D) Case report What is a Case report? Case reports, which include clinical observations gathered by doctors and clinical teams, are a common type of publications. They are useful in detecting side effects, reporting rare diseases, rare clinical features, novel procedures, unexpected events that occurred while examining or treating a patient, and novel therapeutic strategies. Case reports are considered the lowest level of evidence They are the first line of evidence for new therapies.  Case report What is the difference between case series and case report? ❑ A case report is a detailed report of the diagnosis, treatment, response to treatment, and follow-up of an individual patient. ❑ The main purpose of a case report is to educate clinicians about: the clinical features, investigation, and/or the treatment of patients with unusual problems. ❑ A case series is a group of case reports involving patients who were given similar treatment These studies include no control groups.  E) Short Communication Urgent communication of important preliminary results that are very original, of high interest and likely to have a significant impact on the scientific community. They are short papers that present original and significant research that needs to be published quicky. A short communication article may focus on a hot topic or may have new findings that are expected to have a significant impact on a current problem, for example, an epidemic outbreak.  Tertiary literature Book review Critical review of a newly published book which covers the contents and the new and recommendable features of the work. Textbook A course book, a formal manual of instruction in a specific subject, especially for use in schools, universities. Designed to meet demands of a particular course. Often with exercises, questions and solutions.  Grey literatures "That which is produced on all levels of government, academics, business, and industry in print and electronic formats, but which is not controlled by commercial publishers.“ i.e. not peer-reviewed Some examples: Pre-prints (scholarly reports made available before peer review) Clinical trials Government, Company, & Non-profit Reports Dissertations & Theses Conference Presentations & Proceedings Thanks for your patience!! Keep learning!!!! Will continue……..