In academic publishing, a scientific
journal is a periodical
publication intended to further the progress of science,
usually by reporting new research.
There are thousands of scientific journals in publication, and many
more have been published at various points in the past (see list of scientific journals).
Most journals are highly specialized, although some of the oldest
journals such as Nature publish articles and scientific papers across a wide range of
scientific fields. Scientific journals contain articles that have been peer
reviewed, in an attempt to ensure that articles meet the journal's
standards of quality, and scientific validity.
Although scientific journals are superficially similar to professional
magazines,
they are actually quite different. Issues of a scientific journal are
rarely read casually, as one would read a magazine. The publication of
the results of research is an essential part of the scientific method. If they are describing experiments or
calculations, they must supply enough details that an independent
researcher could repeat the experiment or calculation to verify the
results. Each such journal article becomes part of the permanent
scientific record.
The history of scientific journals dates from 1665, when the French Journal des sçavans and the English Philosophical
Transactions of the Royal Society first began systematically
publishing research results. Over a thousand, mostly ephemeral,
were founded in the 18th century, and the number has increased rapidly
after that.
Articles in scientific journals can be used in research and higher
education. Some classes are partially devoted to the explication of
classic articles, and seminar classes can consist of the presentation by
each student of a classic or current paper. In a scientific research
group or academic department it is usual for the
content of current scientific journals to be discussed in journal
clubs.
The standards that a journal uses to determine publication can vary
widely. Some journals, such as Nature, Science, PNAS, and Physical Review Letters, have a
reputation of publishing articles that mark a fundamental breakthrough
in their respective fields. In many fields, an informal hierarchy of
scientific journals exists; the most prestigious journal in a field
tends to be the most selective in terms of the articles it will select
for publication, and will also have the highest impact
factor. It is also common for journals to have a regional focus,
specializing in publishing papers from a particular country or other
geographic region, like African Invertebrates.
Articles tend to be highly technical, representing the latest
theoretical research and experimental results in the field of science
covered by the journal. They are often incomprehensible to anyone except
for researchers in the field and advanced students. In some subjects
this is inevitable given the nature of the content. Usually, rigorous
rules of scientific writing are enforced by the
editors; however, these rules may vary from journal to journal,
especially between journals from different publishers.
Source: Wikipedia
