Editing Scientific journal (section)

==Content==
=== Scientific journals ===
There are thousands of scientific journals in publication, with one estimate from 2012 indicating that there were 28,100 that were active,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ware, Mark |first=and Michael Mabe |date=November 2012 |title=The stm report: An overview of scientific and scholarly journal publishing |url=https://www.stm-assoc.org/2012_12_11_STM_Report_2012.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121224180953/https://www.stm-assoc.org/2012_12_11_STM_Report_2012.pdf |archive-date=December 24, 2012 |access-date=January 25, 2023 |website=International Association of Scientific, Technical and Medical Publishers}}</ref> and many more have been published at various points in the past {{Crossreference|(see [[list of scientific journals]])}}. Most journals are highly specialized, although some of the oldest journals such as ''[[Science (journal)|Science]]'' and ''[[Nature (journal)|Nature]]'' publish articles and [[scientific paper]]s across a wide range of scientific fields.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Panter |first=Michaela |date=2023-01-25 |title=How to Choose Between General and Specialized Journals {{!}} AJE |url=https://www.aje.com/arc/how-choose-between-general-and-specialized-journals/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200811014814/https://www.aje.com/arc/how-choose-between-general-and-specialized-journals/ |archive-date=2020-08-11 |access-date=2023-01-25 |website=American Journal Experts |language=English}}</ref> Scientific journals contain articles that have been [[Scholarly peer review|peer review]]ed, in an attempt to ensure that articles meet the journal's standards of quality and scientific [[Validity (logic)|validity]].<ref name=":0" /> 

Although scientific journals are superficially similar to professional magazines (or trade journals), they are actually quite different. Among other things, scientific journals' papers' authors are experts who must cite everything (and have a [[bibliography]]). They also deal with research, and are peer reviewed. Meanwhile, trade journals are aimed at people in different fields, focusing on how people in these fields can do their jobs better. They additionally cover information related to work, and include tips and advice for improving performance, but they are not scholarly.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Lilla |first=Rick |date=November 11, 2022 |title=What's the difference between a scholarly journal, a professional journal, a peer reviewed journal, and a magazine? |url=https://ask.lockhaven.edu/research/faq/163762 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180524150850/https://ask.lockhaven.edu/research/faq/163762 |archive-date=May 24, 2018 |access-date=January 25, 2023 |website=Lock Haven University Libraries}}</ref>

=== Articles in scientific journals ===
Articles in scientific journals are mostly written by active scientists such as students, researchers, and professors. Their intended audience is others in the field (such as students and experts), meaning their content is more advanced and sophisticated than what is found regular publications.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 25, 2023 |title=What is a Scholarly Journal? |url=https://library.vvc.edu/welcome/journals |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314232452/https://library.vvc.edu/welcome/journals |archive-date=March 14, 2016 |access-date=January 25, 2023 |website=Victor Valley College Library (Victor Valley College)}}</ref> They have different purposes, depending on the type. Articles with original research are meant to share it with others in the field, review articles give summaries of research that has already been done, and perspective articles give researchers' views on research that their peers performed.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Chan |first=Warren |date=2018-07-24 |title=What Is the Value of Publishing? |journal=ACS Nano |language=en |volume=12 |issue=7 |pages=6345–6346 |doi=10.1021/acsnano.8b05296 |pmid=30041294 |s2cid=206722747 |issn=1936-0851|doi-access=free }}</ref>

Each article has several different sections, including the following:<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=January 25, 2023 |title=Major Parts of a Research Article |url=https://www.marymount.edu/marymount.edu/media/Academic_media/Services_and_Resources/partsofaresearcharticle.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150418174213/https://www.marymount.edu/marymount.edu/media/Academic_media/Services_and_Resources/partsofaresearcharticle.pdf |archive-date=April 18, 2015 |access-date=January 25, 2023 |website=Marymount University Library & Learning Services}}</ref> 

* The title;
* Information about the author(s);
* The [[Abstract (summary)|abstract]], which is a one-paragraph summary of the article;
* The [[Introduction (writing)|introduction]], including a background, why the research was done, research on this topic that has been done before, and (possibly) a [[hypothesis]];
* The [[methodology]] or method, which includes the way the [[research]] was done, details concerning the study's [[Sampling (statistics)|sample]], [[Measurement|measures for assessment]], and the [[Methodology#As method|procedure]];
* Findings or [[Result|results]], which summarize what the study found;
* Conclusion, comments, or discussion, which both explain how the results answered the questions that were posed, as well as areas that could be researched in the future;
* A [[Bibliography|list of works]] that the article's author [[Citation|cited]].

Scientific journal articles are not usually read casually like a person would read a magazine. Whereas magazine articles can be read in a more casual manner, reading an article in a scientific periodical requires a lot more concentration. Reading an article in a scientific journal usually entails first reading the title, to see if it was related to the desired topic. If it was, the next step is to read the abstract (or summary or conclusion, if the abstract is missing), to see if the article is worth reading. Then, if it seems like reading it would be worthwhile, the reader would then read the whole article.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Subramanyam |first=RV |date=January–April 2013 |title=Art of reading a journal article: Methodically and effectively |journal=Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology |volume=17 |issue=1 |pages=65–70 |doi=10.4103/0973-029X.110733 |pmid=23798833 |pmc=3687192 |doi-access=free }}</ref> 

Publishing research results is an essential part of helping science to advance.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-04-14 |title=Publish or perish? - Understanding Science |url=https://undsci.berkeley.edu/understanding-science-101/how-science-works/publish-or-perish/ |access-date=2023-01-26 |website=University of California Berkeley |language=en-US}}</ref> If scientists are describing experiments or calculations, they should also explain how they did them so that an independent researcher could repeat the experiment or calculation to verify the results, or so that they could evaluate whatever the research article's findings were.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How and Why Do Scientists Share Results |url=https://www.nationalmssociety.org/Research/Research-News-Progress/How-and-Why-Do-Scientists-Share-Results |access-date=January 26, 2023 |website=National Multiple Sclerosis Society}}</ref> Each such journal article also becomes part of the permanent scientific record.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gamble |first=Rhianna |title=LibGuides: Guide to Getting Published in Journals: Why publish in journals? |url=https://ifis.libguides.com/journal-publishing-guide/why-publish-in-journals |access-date=2023-01-26 |website=ifis.libguides.com |language=en}}</ref>