Overview of the Journal Article
This chapter introduces the journal article module. The chapter describes some of the defining characteristics of a journal article while emphasizing concise writing and organization. By the end of this chapter, you should be able to do the following: Recognize the importance ■ of concise writing ■ Identify the broad organizational structure of journal articles ■ Explain what is meant by targeted reading and keywords As you move through the chapter, you will begin to plan your own journal- quality paper. The Writing on Your Own tasks throughout the chapter will guide you in this process: 2A Get started 2B Select your topic 2C Conduct a literature search 2D Find additional resources 2E Decide on the broad organization of your paper Module 1 focuses entirely on writing a journal-quality paper, a paper suitable for submission to a refereed chemistry journal. Refereed journals include only articles that have made it through a rigorous peer-review process. In this process, a submitted manuscript is critically reviewed by two or more anonymous reviewers. The reviewers are asked to judge both the scientific merit and writing quality of the manuscript. Authors are often required to revise their work before it can be accepted for publication. The entire review process can take six months or longer. An account of the review process typically appears in the published article, for example, Received for review March 9, 2008. Revised manuscript received August 3, 2008. Accepted August 5, 2008. Once published, the journal article becomes part of the primary literature of chemistry. The primary literature is a permanent and public record of all scientific works, many of which are refereed journal articles.