Researchers communicate their results to other researchers and other interested readers by presenting and publishing their research. Research can be published in different ways depending on the discipline. In some fields conference proceedings are more common, while in other fields the research is more often presented in books or articles. During your studies you will use different types of research publications.

When you are going to use academic texts, it can be helpful to know how they have been published and if they have been reviewed in any way. Keep in mind that the time it takes for research to reach the readers depends on how the researchers choose to publish their research.

Here you can read about three of the most common ways to publish research.

Conference proceedings

Scholarly articles

Books and E-books

It is common that new research results are presented for the first time at a conference, where the authors can discuss their findings and get feedback from peers. The papers presented are often published in a conference proceeding.

If you are looking for the latest research within your field, conference proceedings are often a good starting point.

What is presented at a conference must be accepted by the organiser, but if and how the texts are reviewed differ between the conferences.

After an article has been submitted to a publisher it can take quite a long time before it is published, up to one year.

Scholarly articles undergo a peer review before they are published. If you are unsure whether an article is academic, you can check if it has been peer reviewed.

You can find research in books and e-books as well, even in books that are not scholarly. One example is some of the books that are required reading for your higher studies.

It takes a long time to write and publish books, but they can be a good way for you to familiarise yourself with a new field.

Books and e-books are often reviewed by an editor before they are published.

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Note that research may be published without review. There are rogue publishers who contact researchers and publish their articles without review.

Research is an ongoing conversation where researchers can both confirm and contradict each other. This brings the conversation forward with both new discoveries and new questions to ask. Look for review articles within your research area. They summarise and analyse previously published research and can help you get an overview of the current state of research.

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In a blog post from 2018, Kevin Zollman discusses "What it means when scientists disagree" (Links to an external site).