Introduction to Astronomical Literature and Resources
Astronomers, like other scientists, publish their findings in astronomical journals,
at meetings, and
colloquia.
It is usually distinguished between:
Here we provide an introduction to refereed astronomical literature and the structure
of scientific articles.
Astronomical Journals
Journals are generally issued monthly or bi-weekly, and many now have electronic
versions as well. Most journals are international in that they accept articles
from any scientist or group of scientists. Several of the most widely-read of
these journals are listed below and paper copies are found in almost any astronomy
library.
For a listing of many other astronomical journals, see the AstroWeb.
Some astronomical journals require a paid subscription in order to read articles
from their electronic archives. A yearly fee is generally also required for
subscription to the paper copies that you will find in the library. Regardless
of whether the electronic version can be read free-of-charge, electronic searches
on the contents can usually be made.
In addition, many services compile recent astronomical articles from a wide
variety of journals into electronic databases. These astronomy
literature search engines (ADS) are extremely important to find publications
by author name, object name, topic, or keyword.
The Annual Review of Astronomy and
Astrophysics and conference proceedings, such as those published by the
International Astronomical Union, the American Institute of Physics, and the
NATO Advanced Science Institute, provide excellent scientific reviews of the
literature at a general level appropriate for a introduction to a particular
topic. These can be found in the library. Even more general introductions can
be found in magazines such as:
which are considered popular science magazines, not scientific journals, but
often provide a helpful starting point. And so may the press releases of NASA,
ESA, STScI,
and ESO for very recent
information.
Structure of a Scientific Article
A scientific article generally consists of the following components:
- Title:
Brief description of the topic of the article
- Author List:
List of all the scientists who contributed to the findings in the article
and agree with its conclusions. The professional postal addresses of the
authors is also given, and often the electronic (email) addresses as well.
It is traditional to list the authors in the order that reflects the amount
of effort contributed by each; if that proves too difficult, alphabetical
authorship (by last name) is a common alternative.
- Acceptance Date:
Date that the article was accepted for publication. The paper will not be
accepted until the editor is satisfied that it meets particular scientific
standards (originality, importance, and scientifically demonstrated conclusions).
Generally, the editor is advised in this matter by one or more experts in
the field, known as "referees." A "refereed journal" is one that will publish
only those articles that have passed these criteria.
- Abstract:
Brief (one paragraph) description of the primary new conclusions of the
article, indicating their importance to the field in general.
- Introduction:
Here the basic question to be answered in stated, and a review of the work
done previously by others (perhaps including the authors) in trying to answer
this question is reviewed. Both work that appears to confirm and work that
appears to contradict the conclusions of the authors should be cited. At
the end of the introduction, a simple outline of the paper is often given.
- Body of the Paper, divided into Subsections:
The primary arguments upon which the conclusions are based are presented
here, including a clear description of all data used and assumptions made.
Simple calculations are presented in the main body of the text; more complicated
calculations may appear in an Appendix at the end of the paper. Wherever
possible, numerical tables and graphs are used to illustrate quantitative
claims made in the scientific argument. Comparisons to the data or calculations
of others should be presented here or in the Discussion section. Each of
the conclusions should be scientifically justified in this section.
- Discussion:
Here the authors may indicate how their conclusions depend on the various
assumptions they have made and the uncertainties in their data or analysis.
The importance of the new results for the field of research are reviewed,
as well as a direct comparison of the new results with any confirming or
contradictory evidence from elsewhere in the literature, listing possible
reasons (if known or suspected) for the discrepancies.
- Conclusion:
The new conclusions are clearly and simply restated here for quick reference.
- Acknowledgements:
Authors thank any persons aiding them during the course of the research
and often also any sources of financial support.
- Bibliographic List of References:
- All scientific articles and resources used in the prepartion of the paper
are given here, listed in alphabetical order by the last name of the first
author of each author. These references should also be cited in the main
body of the article, directly after the statement or claim to which they
refer. Different journals may use slightly differ syntax, but a common syntax
for the bibliographic reference list would be Last Name, Intials, Year,
Journal (or Journal Abbreviation), Volume Number, Page Number: Oort, J.H.,
1988, PASJ, 40, 1. A typical syntax for the citation in the main body of
the text is (Authors' Last Names Year): ``It is generally believed that
most of the mass of universe contained in large scale structures is in the
form of nonluminous matter, unless the fluctuations in the mass density
of the early universe were erased by reionization (Oort 1988). This conclusion
is based on . . . ''
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This web page
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