Types of academic articles
Not all academic articles are the same. Depending on their aim and content, they can be categorized into different types:
- Original research articles present new, original research findings. They usually include a methods section, results, and an interpretation of those results (called discussion).
- Review articles summarize research articles on a specific topic. They are useful for getting an overview of the state of research. However, they often lack the most recent research results.
- Short communications / letters / short notes differ from traditional research articles mainly by their brevity. This allows them to be published quickly and to focus on current topics.
- Other types: In addition to the three categories above, there are other types of articles published in academic journals. These are often shorter than original research articles, e.g. a commentary on a specific topic (comments). Some are used to publish genome sequencing results (genome announcements) or to present a new method (technical reports).
Structure of a research article
The following gives a breakdown of the typical structure of research articles in the natural sciences, which is also commonly used in engineering and empirical social sciences:
- Title: states the topic addressed in the article.
- Abstract: provides a brief summary of the article.
- Introduction: introduces the topic – from general background to the aim of the study.
- Materials and Methods: describes the approach taken in the study in enough detail that others could (ideally) replicate it.
- Results: presents the findings in a neutral way, often visualized using charts and tables.
- Discussion: interprets the results and compares them to previous research.
- Conclusion: summarizes key findings and provides an outlook for future research.
- References: lists the literature used in the article.
Research articles are important sources for other academic writing. In exceptional cases, preprints of such articles may also be cited. Please refer to our article: Citing Preprints.
Reference: Arbeitsmaterialien Band 7 (2017): Vom Lesen zum Verstehen: Der Umgang mit wissenschaftlicher Fachliteratur Available online at https://www2.tuhh.de/zll/wp-content/uploads/2017_Umgang_mit_Fachliteratur_website.pdf, last accessed on 13.05.2025. (in German)
Frequently asked questions
Is a paper the same as a research article?
Not exactly. All research articles are papers, but not every paper is a research article. There are different types – see above.
Are papers reliable sources?
Yes, because published papers have been critically reviewed by other researchers. They are therefore considered particularly trustworthy.
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This article was published in August 2025 and last updated in May 2025.