You have useful work to report, but the manuscript won't settle into the shape of a standard research article. Maybe the contribution is a method, a synthesis, or a dataset. Forcing it into the wrong format can hide what makes it valuable.
The handbook describes several article types. Use the distinctions to clarify the contribution, then check the terminology and requirements of the specific journal.
Reporting an original study
If the central contribution is new empirical work, explain the question, design, evidence, findings, and interpretation in the form the outlet requests. The design determines what you can claim. A familiar section structure doesn't remove that responsibility.
Synthesizing a body of research
A review needs a purpose and an approach to finding, selecting, and interpreting relevant work. Explain what the synthesis adds. Don't relabel a collection of summaries as a systematic review without using and reporting an appropriate method.
Developing a method or describing a resource
A methods contribution should explain what is new or improved, how it works, and what evidence supports its use. A data-focused article needs a clear account of the resource, its creation, quality, access, and limitations as applicable.
Check which contribution the journal accepts and what supporting materials it requires.
Examining a case or a cycle of practice
A focused case or practice-based investigation needs a clear question, context, evidence, and explanation of what readers can learn. Describe the approach accurately. A setting involving practice doesn't automatically make every account an action research study.
Offering an argument or perspective
A commentary may develop an interpretation, identify a problem, or propose a direction using relevant evidence. Keep the argument distinct from findings of a study you haven't conducted. Check whether the outlet accepts unsolicited contributions of that type.
The labels above don't form a universal menu, and journals may combine or distinguish them differently. Read examples from the actual outlet before deciding.
Finish this sentence: 'The main contribution of this manuscript is ___.' Then compare that answer with the journal's article descriptions. Choose the form that lets readers evaluate the real contribution instead of making the work imitate an article it isn't.
Adapted from The New Faculty Handbook by Zafer Unal, pp. 115-116.
