What is a Scientific Publication?

Scientific research and expert work provide magnitudes of research data that is both grounded and trustworthy. Data is collected via different kinds of experimental arrangements, such as measurements and interviews. The acquired data is then processed into research data with extensive systematic and critical evaluation of the findings and their comparison with previous research.

The aim of scientific publication is to make the research visible to the community and others interested. The core of scientific publication lies in producing new information and evaluating it in the scientific community. With the use of publications, the academic community is able to evaluate and critique research. Publishing also enables researchers to qualify and distinguish themselves.

Research findings are published through channels dedicated to scholarly communication, most commonly as scientific articles in scientific journals or as monographs. Whether a publication is in fact scientific is often deduced with peer-reviewing. Publications can be either printed or electronic, their form is not an indication of their merit.

Scientific articles are a common form of publication, especially in the natural sciences and health sciences. In social sciences and humanities, monographies, i.e., books, by one or more authors, are also a commonly accepted publication type. In certain fields, such as engineering and computer science, a substantial number of conference papers are also published. Thus, the information must also be sought from numerous sources, considering the requirements of your own research field.


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Information is distributed in various ways

Publishing scientific information differs from the usual sharing of information, knowledge, insight and ideas. The publication types that focus on scientific publications are discussed in more detail in the Scientific Publications in Different Fields section.

However, it is important to understand that there are different ways to share information and different types of publications:

  • Publications meant for the scientific community, e.g., peer-reviewed scientific articles in periodicals, conference proceedings, or as part of a book or other compendium, scientific books (a monograph or an edited book), compendiums
  • Publications meant for the professional community, e.g., articles in professional journals, handbooks, or textbooks, reports or accounts on development or research, textbooks, professional handbooks, guides or dictionaries, edited professional works
  • Publications meant for the general audience, e.g., articles in popularised forms, newspaper articles, popularised monographies or edited works, TV, radio and magazine interviews, podcasts
  • Postings created for different communities online and in social media, e.g., blog posts, articles, short written, visual, recorded or videotaped announcements in social media channels and interaction in communities in different platforms
  • Theses

Scientific publications feature a particular structure

There is an established form for academic writing, which must be abided by when writing for scientific periodicals. When it comes to the details, each periodical has its own writing instructions that must be followed when an article is wished to be submitted. These writing instructions are found on the pages of the periodicals.

Scientific articles most commonly contain the following elements: 

  • Title
  • Names and affiliations of the authors
  • Abstract
  • Introduction
  • Methods
  • Results
  • Discussion
  • Acknowledgements and transparency of interests
  • References

This structure is often called IMRAD (Introduction, Methods, Results And Discussion).


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Peer-reviewing is used to verify a publication’s scientific status

Peer-reviewing is considered one of the key criteria of scientific quality in scientific publishing. In peer review, independent experts assess whether a research manuscript is suitable for publication. These experts are researchers working in the same field as the author(s). Usually, at least two reviewers evaluate each manuscript. Depending on the type of peer-review process, reviewers and authors may or may not know each other’s identities.

The editorial board of a scientific journal first evaluates whether a submitted manuscript is relevant to the journal’s scope and readership. If it is deemed suitable, the manuscript is sent to peer reviewers (referees), who assess its content, methodology, scientific significance, originality, and novelty. Based on their evaluation, the reviewers provide recommendations to the editorial board regarding acceptance or rejection of the manuscript and revision suggestions for the authors. The journal’s editorial board makes the final publication decision based on the reviewers’ comments and recommendations.

In disciplines where books play a major role, such as humanities and some social sciences, the publication and peer-review process generally follows the same main steps as the publication of a scientific article. However, the process often involves closer collaboration with the publisher and typically takes longer.

How do I identify a peer-reviewed publication?

Peer-review label in Finnish publications:

  • In Finland, peer-reviewed scientific publications usually have a label that can be used to identify publications that have been peer-reviewed. More information on the peer-review label can be found on the website of The Federation of Finnish Learned Societies. The scientific articles of the Aikuiskasvatus journal (journal is in Finnish), for instance, have a peer-review label. 
  • The label can apply to an entire publication, in which case each article of the publication has been peer-reviewed. It can also apply to only some of the content, such as individual articles. In such case, the label can usually be found in the article in question.

Foreign scientific journals: 

  • If the article includes a mention of “revised” or something similar, it has usually been modified in response to reviewers’ feedback. In addition to individual mentions, the journal’s website usually contains information on the publisher’s peer-review practices and which article types are peer-reviewed. 
  • The most common types of peer-reviewed articles are original, research and review articles. However, finding mentions of peer review can be more difficult in compilation works and conference articles. 

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