Original Research Articles
Original research articles are the most common type of peer-reviewed article. In original research articles, authors report on the new results of research they conducted themselves, explaining what they did, how they did it, what the results were, and why the results are important. Most original research articles contain the following sections:
- Title
- Abstract
- Introduction
- Methods
- Results
- Discussion
- Conclusion
- References
They are not always in the same order, and they are not always clearly labeled.
Original Research Articles vs. Review Articles
Review articles are often also peer-reviewed and they can often be mistaken for original research articles. Below is a table with a brief comparison between the two types of articles.
Elements of original research articles and review articles.
| |
Original Research |
Review |
| Authors |
experts in the field |
experts in the field |
| Audience |
other scientists, scholars, researchers, students |
other scientists, scholars, researchers, students |
| Content |
research they conducted (what they did, how they did it, and the results) |
reviews/summarizes the current state of knowledge on a topic (citing research done by others) |
| Scope |
generally very specific and narrow |
more general/broad |
For more information and tips for finding and identifying original research articles, see:
