Academic publication types

Blog posts are freely accessible scientific communication channels made available on the web. Exchanges between the author and other individuals are made possible via the comments section. The aim is to facilitate the quick and open access dissemination of research findings or to allow for the presentation and discussion of argumentative positions on a specific scientific topic.

Subject-specific scientific blogs can be found, for example, under Science Blogs.

In law, legal commentaries are explanations of the paragraphs or articles contained in one or more laws for use in practice or for the purpose of study.

Publication form: monograph

Conference reports / conference transcripts / proceedings contain the written versions of presentations held at an event.

Formal publication type: edited volume

Conference contributions can, however, also appear in journals.

Dissertations / theses are detailed academic papers that address a specific issue. Doctoral and habilitation theses both fall under this category. In some cases, dissertations are also understood to include other papers produced for the attainment of an academic degree, including diploma, Bachelor's and Master's theses.

Bachelor's and Master's theses can primarily be found as electronic documents in repositories.

Habilitation (post-doctoral) and doctoral dissertations, on the other hand, are also published by publishing houses in the form of monographs.

In edited volumes or collective works, individual chapters/contributions/articles are written by different authors. Editors (which can also be institutions) compile these into a complete work. The individual contributions relate to a common theme and can treat it from different perspectives.

ZHAW swisscovery, for example, is suitable for searching for academic books (monographs, collective works, etc.).

Figure: Edited volume cover and the most important bibliographic information for the contribution (Zotero screenshot)

Encyclopaedias / dictionaries are alphabetically arranged reference works for terms used in individual or several scientific disciplines. They help you to gain an overview of a topic, define a term or find keywords for your search.

Electronic reference works, sorted according to subject area, can be found on the University Library website.

Publication form: edited volume, contribution in an edited volume

Essays raise research questions and represent a subjective viewpoint or highlight individual cases in an argumentative manner.

Publication form: journal article, monograph, contribution in an edited volume

Handbooks are reference works with detailed entries on terms and concepts of a (sub-)discipline.

Publication form: monograph, edited volume

A journal appears periodically (monthly, quarterly, etc.) and contains articles from various authors on a specific field. Historically, journals established themselves in the academic world because their regular publication meant that new findings could be disseminated more quickly than is the case with books.

In order to ensure the quality of academic articles, they are often subjected to a peer review process. This peer review process determines the general acceptance or rejection of a research paper and provides the authors with instructions for corrections and additions that must be made prior to publication. Just how rigorously articles are rejected in practice as well as the procedure and criteria applied for the peer review process vary from journal to journal.

Journals (electronic and print) are listed in the ZHAW swisscovery university catalogue.
You can find journal articles in ZHAW swisscovery, in specialist databases and academic search engines such as Google Scholar.

Figure: Cover and the most important bibliographic information (Zotero screenshot)

See Review, research synthesis

Monographs are books that have been written jointly by all of the listed authors. A monograph focuses on a topic and, generally speaking, addresses this in a comprehensive and conclusive manner.

You are thus able to gain an overview and deepen your knowledge on a broad basis.

ZHAW swisscovery, for example, is suitable for searching for academic books (monographs, collective works, etc.).

       
Figure: Cover and the most important bibliographic information (Zotero screenshot)

See Review, research synthesis

Practical guides translate research results into recommendations that can be implemented in practice.

FPublication form: monograph

The SHERPA/RoMEO database makes the following distinction: preprints are all versions of an article that were written prior to the peer review, while postprints are all versions after the peer review process has been completed.

Publishers have different requirements when it comes to the publication of preprints and postprints. With respect to preprints, the decisive factor is often whether they can be archived or not. In the case of postprints, it is the appearance of the publication, in particular, that is important: many publishers only permit green open access if it is not the publisher's version-of-record that is self-archived, but rather a version that does not feature the publisher's own formatting and logo.

Preprint and postprint versions of published articles can also be found in the ZHAW digitalcollection, the repository of the ZHAW.

Submitted version, preprint:

Accepted version, author accepted manuscript, postprint (not in published layout):

In accordance with the APA 7th edition, the repository where the text was found is stated rather than the publication in which an article or contribution appeared when citing preprint and postprint versions.

Source: What are the differences between preprint and postprint versions? (2017). ZB MED - Publication Portal for Life Sciences. https://www.publisso.de/en/advice/publishing-advice-faqs/preprint-and-postprint/

Primary research is empirical, methodological, hermeneutical, historical or theoretical consideration of a particular research question or hypothesis.

Publication form: journal article

See Conference report, conference transcript, proceedings

Research reports describe the current status or results of a research project, joint projects or the research activities of an entire organisation. They are prepared by research institutions at universities or companies and are commissioned by government agencies, international organisations, research funding institutions and businesses. They are primarily published in repositories and on websites.

Research reports can also be published in the form of a journal article.

Reviews summarise findings from several comparable primary research studies. There are various kinds of reviews that differ in terms of the methodology applied.

Narrative reviews usually provide a broad overview of a specific topic. The studies addressed are chosen subjectively, however.

Systematic reviews aim to incorporate all relevant literature on a subject. The methodological approach is disclosed transparently (where exactly what was searched for and which selection and evaluation criteria were applied).

Meta-analyses evaluate the results of primary research studies using statistical methods in order to derive greater explanatory power from the results. To make this possible, all relevant literature must first be searched for as well. The process is also presented here in a transparent and comprehensible manner.

Publication form: journal article

Source: Ressing, M., Blettner, M., & Klug, S. J. (2009). Systematische Übersichtsarbeiten und Metaanalysen. Deutsches Aerzteblatt, 106(27), 456–463. https://doi.org/10.3238/arztebl.2009.0456

See Review, research synthesis

Textbooks provide a summary of the current state of knowledge on a scientific sub-field for study purposes and are didactically appropriate.

Publication form: monograph

See Dissertation, thesis

Working papers are preliminary scientific or technical papers published in a series by the institution where the research is taking place. They are primarily published in repositories and on websites.

Source: Arbeitsgruppe Elektronisches Publizieren DINI, Deutsche Nationalbibliothek, & Bibliotheksservice-Zentrum Baden-Württemberg. (2010). Gemeinsames Vokabular für Publikations- und Dokumenttypen. Deutsche Initiative für Netzwerkinformation (DINI). https://doi.org/10.18452/1492