A scientific article is a written document that presents the results of original research and discusses them in relation to previous work in the same field. It is intended for an audience of scientific peers—that is, other researchers and experts in the field—and typically follows a standardized outline to ensure consistency and understanding. Here are some additional details on the key characteristics of a scientific article:

Target audience: Scientific articles are intended for a peer-reviewed audience, meaning their content is intended to be understood and evaluated by other researchers and experts in the field. Readers are assumed to have prior knowledge of the field, allowing articles to use technical and field-specific language.

Originality: Originality is one of the most important characteristics of a scientific article. It must present a new contribution or a significant advance in the chosen field of research. This may include new discoveries, innovative methodologies, unexpected results, or in-depth analyses.

Literature Review: The literature review is an essential section of the scientific article. It begins with an introduction to the topic and continues with a presentation of relevant previous work. This section helps to situate the current research in the context of what has already been done and to identify unresolved questions.

Standardized structure: The standardized structure ensures the article’s consistency and understanding. Each section fulfills a specific role and generally follows a logical order, allowing readers to easily follow the author’s reasoning.

• Introduction: It states the research problem, research question, objectives, and hypotheses of the study. It gives readers an overview of the content of the article.
• Methodology: This section details the methods and techniques used to collect and analyze the data. It should be detailed enough so that other researchers can replicate the study.
• Results: The research results are presented in a clear and concise manner. This may include tables, graphs, or statistics to illustrate the findings.
• Discussion: The discussion interprets the results in light of the research objectives. It also examines the practical and theoretical implications of the results, discusses the limitations of the study, and suggests avenues for future research.
• Conclusion: The conclusion briefly summarizes the main findings of the study. It reiterates the importance of the research and may discuss its potential impact.
• Bibliography: A complete list of all sources cited in the article, presented according to a specific citation format.

Citation format: Scholarly articles typically follow a specific citation format, such as APA, MLA, or Chicago. These formats dictate how references are presented in the text and in the bibliography.

Peer Review: Before being accepted for publication, a scientific article undergoes a peer review process. Anonymous experts review the article to assess its scientific quality, originality, methodology, results, and conclusions. Reviewers’ comments are used to improve the article.

Publication in a scientific journal: Scientific articles are generally published in specialized scientific journals. Each journal has its own editorial and submission standards. Once accepted, the article is published and becomes accessible to researchers worldwide, usually through journal subscriptions or open access online.

By following these standards and steps, researchers ensure that their work is presented in a structured, transparent, and credible manner, which promotes the effective communication of scientific advances.