In academic publishing, a scientific journal is a periodical publication with the purpose of furthering the progress of science by disseminating new research findings to the scientific community. Such journals serve as a platform for researchers, scholars, and scientists to share their latest discoveries, insights, and methodologies across a multitude of scientific disciplines.
Unlike the situation in professional or trade magazines, the articles are mostly written by scientists rather than staff writers employed by the journal. Scientific journals are characterized by their rigorous peer-review process, which aims to ensure the validity, reliability, and quality as well as supporting the integrity (through reproducibility and replicability) of the published content. In peer review, submitted articles are reviewed by active scientists (peers) to ensure scientific rigor. With origins in the 17th century, the publication of scientific journals has evolved substantially, advancing scientific knowledge, fostering academic discourse, and facilitating collaboration within the scientific community.
There are thousands of scientific journals in publication, with scopes ranging from the general sciences, to highly specialized fields. These journals publish a variety of articles including original research, review articles, and perspectives, each serving distinct purposes in academia. The advent of electronic publishing has made scientific journals more accessible.