A scientific publication provides new knowledge in relation to existing research. Its content is presented in a way that allows research results to be evaluated, verified, and utilized in future studies.
Scientific writing follows specific rules and practices that serve as characteristics of scientific publications and distinguish them from other types of publications:
Scientific publication channels specialize in publishing research findings. They have editorial boards composed of experts in the field and follow a peer review process. Scientific journals and books are mainly published by research organizations, scientific societies, and commercial publishers.
Scientific, peer-reviewed publications can be accessed either openly or through subscription-based databases. In open access publishing, journals charge authors a publication fee (APC – Article Processing Charge) instead of billing subscribers or readers. Open access articles are freely available online for anyone to read.
These articles may be published as open access from the outset, or their manuscript versions may be deposited in an institutional repository such OuluREPO – University of Oulu repository. Open access publications are easy to find using tools like Google Scholar.