4.1.2: Publication Types

Publication Types

In this section, we’ll explore several publication types. Now that you have identified your topic and target audience, you should consider publication formats. How you write up your research will be shaped by the requirements of potential publications. The publication type and venue will influence your article’s length, tone, formatting, and content. Let’s look more closely at some publication types.

Outputs	Description
Primary research article	There are various names (original research, scholarly article, peer-reviewed article, refereed article, etc.) but this is the traditional medium for most fields and plays an important role in circulating research through journals; these articles typically advance a new claim supported by original data gathered by the author(s).
Short report/letter	Often appearing in journals or trade publications, this research channel quickly summarizes or previews primary research to keep researchers aware of new trends and findingsResults The section of a research article where researchers share the results from the research. This section takes the results and directly connects them to the research questions or hypotheses posed at the start of the article. Also can be called “Findings.” .
Literature reviewLiterature Review The process of summarizing, synthesizing and/or critiquing literature around a specific topic/idea. This work can help a researcher understand what has happened before and also how past research intersects and or diverges from other research. A literature review can be a full-length manuscript or a subsection within a larger research article.	Reviews also go by various names, but unlike primary research, the name reflects a different methodologyMethodology The theoretical framework that informs how a researcher approaches their work and what methods are used to collect data. with different research purposes; common types include a literature review (generic synthesis of published materials), meta-analysis (statistical analysis of quantitative studies to provide a precise effect of the included studies’ resultsResults The section of a research article where researchers share the results from the research. This section takes the results and directly connects them to the research questions or hypotheses posed at the start of the article. Also can be called “Findings.” ), and systematic reviewSystematic review A type of scholarly work where all evidence/primary research on a certain topic or idea is identified, selected, and evaluated. Documentation is provided in order for other researchers to conduct the same search and see the same results. Often used in health science and medical disciplines and a librarian is a key contributor to this kind of scholarly collaboration. (a systematic search and synthesis of research aligned to a specific research question). The Right Review is a helpful tool aimed at assisting researchers with selecting the correct review type.
Case study	A detailed description/observation of one person, place, or group within a real-world context; this format appears frequently in journals.
Conference presentation/ proceeding	While travel and expenses can limit attendance at conferences, often organizers or presenters will share abstracts, presentation slides, or published transcriptions.
Book/book chapter	Books are a common research output in every field and vary widely in content, length, quality standards, and style; books can be written by one or several authors, curated by one or several editors with chapters written by different authors, a compilation of existing works, etc.
Report	Typically reports or white papers are commissioned by government agencies or private organizations and can be used as an advocacy tool.
Digital scholarship	Digital scholarship uses a combination of traditional research methods with emerging technologies that typically result in a multimedia format like maps, data visualizations, and interactive elements.
Popular article/interview	Sharing scholarship outside academic audiences is an important connection for researchers hoping to make real-world impacts; press releases often spark interest from reporters in popular media and can result in articles dedicated to scholarship. Additionally, researchers can serve as experts in interviews on complex topics.
Self-publishing/blog/social media	Researchers have also started taking their work in their own hands to share through social media platforms, blogging platforms like Medium and Substack, or through personal web publishing.
Conference Poster	This is a poster shared at a conference and can be a great way to share research projects early in the process. It can also feel less intimidating than committing to an entire presentation, so it can be great for new researchers.

The remainder of this lesson will focus on exploring conference venues, journals, and book chapters. Sometimes the venue for your research will be linear — a blog post could turn into a conference presentation, which could then evolve into a journal article or book chapter. If you’re at the very beginning stages of a research project, scaffolding your publication outputs based on your topic can be a helpful way to grow and evolve your practice, shifting language and focus based on publication type and audience. As you collect more feedback from these different venues, you’ll have a better idea of what you may want to change, expand on, or leave behind with your research focus.

Next, we’ll talk about what considerations to make when selecting a venue for submitting your work.