Scientific literature comprises scientific
publications that report original empirical and theoretical work in the
natural and
social sciences, and within a scientific field is often abbreviated as
the literature.
Academic publishing is the process of placing the results of one's
research into the literature.
Scientific research on original work initially published in
scientific journals is called
primary literature. Patents and
technical reports, for minor research results and engineering and design work (including computer software) can also be considered primary literature.
Secondary sources include articles in
review journals (which provide a synthesis of research articles on a topic to highlight advances and new lines of research), and
books for large projects, broad arguments, or compilations of articles.
Tertiary sources might include
encyclopedias and similar works intended for broad public consumption.
Scientific literature can include the following kinds of publications
The significance of these different components of the literature varies between disciplines and has changed over time. As of 2006[update], peer-reviewed journal articles remain the predominant publication type, and have the highest prestige. However, journals vary enormously in their prestige and importance, and the value of a published article depends on the journal. The significance of books, also called research monographs depends on the subject. Generally books published by university presses are usually considered more prestigious than those published by commercial presses. The status of working papers and conference proceedings depends on the discipline; they are typically more important in the applied sciences. The value of publication as a preprint or scientific report on the web has in the past been low, but in some subjects, such as mathematics or high energy physics, it is now an accepted alternative. For further information about these formats, see the corresponding article.
The actual day-to-day records of scientific information are kept in research notebooks or logbooks. These are usually kept indefinitely as the basic evidence of the work, and are often kept in duplicate, signed, notarized, and archived. The purpose is to preserve the evidence for scientific priority, and in particular for priority for obtaining patents. They have also been used in scientific disputes. Since the availability of computers, the notebooks in some data-intensive fields have been kept as database records, and appropriate software is commercially available.[citation needed]
