In this article various types of papers which a researcher can publish in academic journals will be discussed. Notices that it is the “types of papers” and not the “types of research” as the latter is a whole different concept which refers to the nature of the research which has been conducted such as observational, descriptive or experimental research. Here we will focus on different types of scholarly articles. So let’s begin: free online course : http://tcfex.com/courses-items/research-tools-10a/ join us in "Academic research tools - TCFEX' on LinkedIn

1. Various Types of Scholarly Articles
In this article various types of papers which a researcher can publish in academic journals will be
discussed. Notices that it is the “types of papers” and not the “types of research” as the latter is a
whole different concept which refers to the nature of the research which has been conducted such
as observational, descriptive or experimental research. Here we will focus on different types of
scholarly articles. So let’s begin:
1. Research Article/ Empirical Research:
It is the most common type of article which reports on the results of one or more studies or
experiments, written by one or group of researchers who have conducted the research. It is the
original research in which data are derived through direct observation or original experiment.
The data is then used to answer the research question or test the hypothesis. The results are based
upon actual evidence. One of the essential features of this type of articles is that it must be
replicable, i.e. other researchers should be able to conduct the research again and reach the same
results.
2. Meta-Analysis:
A meta-analysis is al synthesis of the results of two or more studies that have addressed the
same hypothesis in the same way. In Meta-Analysis the authors use the data published in other
researches for analytical purposes. In this type of paper specific techniques are used in order to
provide a structured and standardized approach for analyzing prior findings in a specific topic in

2. the literature. Although Meta-analysis is often quantitative, it can also be qualitative and reveal
biases, strengths, and weaknesses of existing studies. [1]
3. Communications/Letters:
Assume you have concluded something which must be disseminated urgently. For instance,
you have detected a process, a method or a medicine for improving HIV treatment. Of course,
you must inform everybody about this new method quickly. Maybe other laboratories are
working on that at the same time with you and you want them to follow this process to improve
HIV medicine. Since this has to do with human's health, you want people to get informed about
this immediately. You don't have time to research several years to get to the final conclusion.
Such things are usually printed as a "Communication" or "Letter".
4. Notes/Technical Notes:
It is usually called "Note". Technical notes are not as urgent as letters but are also short
descriptions that need to be broadcasted soon. Their importance is one level lower than Letter.
So, when you submit a technical-note to a journal it means the editor of the journal has enough
time to investigate it, but when you name it "Communication" or "Letter" that means the journal
editor must review and investigate it quickly. Why? Since the topic is very urgent and vital.
5. Letter to Editor:
Letter-to-editor is the fastest way for printing an article. What does that mean? Say you have
read an article and found a terrible mistake in that article. Technically, the article suffers from a
fundamental problem. You immediately write a letter to the editor of the journal which has

3. published that article and state that you have read the article and found a problem. If you are
right, the editor must print your letter in the first upcoming publication and reject the previous
article (in case the problem fundamentally affects the outcome of that research). This way the
other scientists who want to use that article will refer to your revision, not to the previous wrong
claim.
6. Literature Review Paper:
It is an article which summarizes the results of significant studies or experiments based on a
topic or research question and the existing literature available regarding that topic or question.
Literature Reviews often attempt to identify trends or draw broader conclusions. When you are
preparing the second chapter of your thesis, from the set of data you have gathered, you can
publish a "Review paper" or "Literature review paper". So you have read a vast number of
articles and books, and out of that large number you have come to a conclusion. You can then
write an article and report your findings in the literature and indicate if there is a gap, problem or
conflict. You can find many valuable tools which help you in writing your literature review here.
7. General-Review:
General reviews usually cover a vast scope in various areas - unlike literature reviews, which
as stated above, are very narrow and examine one problem or are based on a research question or
topic.

4. 8. Viewpoint:
Different types of papers might qualify as Viewpoint. In general, Viewpoints are subset of
articles that reflect a particular position adopted by a person or a group. It is an articulated
organized perspective about a particular topic or issue. A Viewpoint is a scholarly view on a
topic of importance in a given field of study. A Viewpoint must be clearly expressed, and
demonstrate a thorough and broad understanding of the literature and practices in the field. The
opinion expressed must be cogently presented and lead to insights and possibly new and
interesting perspectives. [2]
9. Conceptual/Theoretical Paper:
A conceptual paper addresses a question that one cannot simply answer by providing factual
information or empirical data; in fact a purely conceptual question might be one to which factual
information is not even relevant. This type of paper often refers to a dilemma and then provides
opinions and arguments. Conceptual papers can be highly subjective.
10. Case Study:
Case studies study an individual or small group of individuals over long periods of time, thus
they are often longitudinal and provide thick descriptions. For instance, one such study can be
observing children for 6 to 12 months to record and discover the pattern of acquiring the sound
system of their first language. Of course there are two types of case study. Sometimes the case
study is conducted to discover a problem, and sometimes to approve a discovery. For instance,
you go to a factory, to a system or to a specialist group. You do some research as case study -
either to discover or to solve a problem. Then you keep working on the matter and try to solve it.

5. Additionally, sometimes in your thesis you come to a result and in order to prove that the
obtained result is correct or prove that your model is actually applicable, you implement the
model somewhere as a case study.
References
[1] Taken from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3099299/
[2] Taken form Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly