Scholarly Text

Research results can be published in various ways, e.g. as articles in journals, as research reports, dissertations, books. To determine the quality and realiability of a scientific publication you need to know if the document has been reviewed by other researchers to ensure the highest levels of academic merit, research value, quality and accuracy. If the document has been examined by experts in the field for accuracy and research validity before publication, it is considered having greater scientific weight than those which have not been subjected to such scrutiny.

What is Scholarly?

Distinguishing between what is scholarly and what is not is to a great extent a matter of values and interpretation, and may look different within various disciplines or academic traditions.

The type of publication being chosen to present your research results may vary depending on your subject area. Within natural sciences, technology and medicine the predominant way of publishing new research results is in a scholarly article. Within the humanities and social sciences it is also customary to publish your findings in books and reports.

Here is a checklist as a help to determine the quality of a publication:

• The author is a researcher at a university or similar establishment.
• There is a reference list at the end of the publication.
• Source references are included.
• The journal is indexed in a subject database for scholarly journals.

Apart from that you will need to analyze the actual text:

• The text reports on or refers to the author's own research.
• The author aspires to give an objective, scientific presentation.
• Statements beyond the author's own research are confirmed by referencing the source.

Different Kinds of Journals

As regards journals it is important to distinguish between scholarly, popular and other types of journals, e.g. trade magazines. There are many different publishers and various target groups. Especially the difference between a scholarly journal and a popular magazine is not always easy to determine at first glance, or to determine if a trade magazine may contain scholarly articles.

In getting acquainted with a journal to determine its relevancy it is a good idea to take a closer look at: the publisher, purpose, intended readers, subject area, content level, type of articles published etc.

Popular Magazines

Popular magazines are written for the general public to inform and entertain. They can work as a starting point to get inspiration and a basic knowledge of a problem or subject area, but do not pass as scientifically trustworthy. Scientific American is an example of a popular magazine in English and Forskning & framsteg is an example of a Swedish equivalent.

Scholarly Journals - Primary Publishing

The journal should contain original articles, i.e. research results being published for the first time.

Peer Review

Publishing in the journal is usually preceded by (commonly practised within natural sciences and medicine) a thorough examination, known as peer review, of the content and format of the article. The journal has an editorial board or advisory board, consisting of researchers within the journal's subject field. These researchers review submitted articles and assess the scientific quality of the article. They evaluate the method, the observations, the conclusions and the scientific theory approach. They assess if the author's conclusions are supported by the presented result and if they can be related to the purpose of the research. They also assess if the article is written in such a fashion that it is easy to follow how the researcher has worked to get these results. If anything is unclear the researcher needs to add clarification to the article before it will be accepted for publishing.

Science and Nature are two examples of highly renowned scholarly journals.

Scholarly Articles

A scholarly article is usually set up according to a specific model, having the following components:

Abstract or Summary

A brief summary of the purpose, method, result and conclusions for the article. Good for getting a basic overall view of the content of the article.

Introduction

The article generally begins with a background description which usually contains an overview of earlier relevant research. The purpose, problem and the delimitations are presented.

Material and Methods

In the method chapter the author(-s) will describe the methods and possible material being used. The description needs to be so meticulous and in such detail that other researchers are able to determine the credibility and reliability as well as to repeat the experiments.

Results

Here the research results are described, together with tables and diagrams, if any.

Discussion and Conclusions

In the part discussion and conclusions the results presented are assessed. Methodological considerations are discussed as well as how the results compare to earlier research within the field.

References

All documents being referred to in the article must be noted in the reference list.

Here are a few links to additional reading if you need more information on the subject:

• Day, Robert (2006): How to write and publish a scientific paper. Phoenix: Oryx Press.
• Jarrick, Arne (1996): Från tanke till text. En språkhandbok för uppsatsskrivande studenter. Lund: Studentlitteratur.
• Swales, John M. (2004): Academic writing for graduate students. Ann Arbor: Univ. of Michigan Press.