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Collection 10 March 2022

Journal Top 100

This collection highlights our most downloaded* research papers published in 2021. Featuring authors from around the world, these papers highlight valuable research from an international community.

*Data obtained from SN Insights which is based on Digital Science’s Dimensions.

A well-trained artificial neural network for predicting the rheological behavior of MWCNT–Al 2 O 3 (30–70%)/oil SAE40 hybrid nanofluid

Mohammad Hemmat Esfe
S. Ali Eftekhari
Davood Toghraie

More than 50 long-term effects of COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Sandra Lopez-Leon
Talia Wegman-Ostrosky
Sonia Villapol

Adults who microdose psychedelics report health related motivations and lower levels of anxiety and depression compared to non-microdosers

Joseph M. Rootman
Pamela Kryskow

Detection of persistent SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies in oral mucosal fluid and upper respiratory tract specimens following COVID-19 mRNA vaccination

Aubree Mades
Prithivi Chellamathu
Albina Ibrayeva

Causes of death and comorbidities in hospitalized patients with COVID-19

Sefer Elezkurtaj
Selina Greuel
David Horst

5G as a wireless power grid

Jimmy G. D. Hester
Manos M. Tentzeris

Saliva is more sensitive than nasopharyngeal or nasal swabs for diagnosis of asymptomatic and mild COVID-19 infection

Alvin Kuo Jing Teo
Yukti Choudhury
Li Yang Hsu

Mathematical modelling of SARS-CoV-2 variant outbreaks reveals their probability of extinction

Henrik Schiøler
Torben Knudsen
Martin Bøgsted

Mapping the NFT revolution: market trends, trade networks, and visual features

Matthieu Nadini
Laura Alessandretti
Andrea Baronchelli

Overcooling of offices reveals gender inequity in thermal comfort

Thomas Parkinson
Stefano Schiavon
Gail Brager

Clinical course of COVID-19 patients needing supplemental oxygen outside the intensive care unit

Ayham Daher
Paul Balfanz
Christian G. Cornelissen

Positive effects of COVID-19 lockdown on air quality of industrial cities (Ankleshwar and Vapi) of Western India

Ritwik Nigam
Kanvi Pandya
Mahender Kotha

Proportion of people identified as transgender and non-binary gender in Brazil

Giancarlo Spizzirri
Raí Eufrásio
Carmita Helena Najjar Abdo

Immunodominant T-cell epitopes from the SARS-CoV-2 spike antigen reveal robust pre-existing T-cell immunity in unexposed individuals

Swapnil Mahajan
Vasumathi Kode
Amitabha Chaudhuri

Positive expectations predict improved mental-health outcomes linked to psychedelic microdosing

L. S. Kaertner
M. B. Steinborn
R. L. Carhart-Harris

Effect of vitamin D on cognitive decline: results from two ancillary studies of the VITAL randomized trial

Jae H. Kang
Chirag M. Vyas
JoAnn E. Manson

Low HDL and high triglycerides predict COVID-19 severity

Lluís Masana
Eudald Correig
the STACOV-XULA research group

Shorter headed dogs, visually cooperative breeds, younger and playful dogs form eye contact faster with an unfamiliar human

Zsófia Bognár
Enikő Kubinyi

Cannabis compounds exhibit anti-inflammatory activity in vitro in COVID-19-related inflammation in lung epithelial cells and pro-inflammatory activity in macrophages

Seegehalli M. Anil
Nurit Shalev
Hinanit Koltai

The first true millipede—1306 legs long

Paul E. Marek
Bruno A. Buzatto
Juanita Rodriguez

The poor prognosis and influencing factors of high D-dimer levels for COVID-19 patients

Xiaokang He
Qingming Wu

Pruritus is common in patients with chronic liver disease and is improved by nalfurafine hydrochloride

Shuhei Yoshikawa
Takeharu Asano
Hirosato Mashima

Lethal coalitionary attacks of chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes troglodytes ) on gorillas ( Gorilla gorilla gorilla ) in the wild

Lara M. Southern
Tobias Deschner
Simone Pika

Secondary bacterial infection in COVID-19 patients is a stronger predictor for death compared to influenza patients

Noa Shafran
Inbal Shafran
Ella H. Sklan

SARS-CoV-2 virus transfers to skin through contact with contaminated solids

Saeed Behzadinasab
Alex W. H. Chin
William A. Ducker

The in-vitro effect of famotidine on SARS-CoV-2 proteases and virus replication

Madeline Loffredo
Hector Lucero
Ali H. Munawar

Ferritin is associated with the severity of lung involvement but not with worse prognosis in patients with COVID-19: data from two Italian COVID-19 units

Francesco Carubbi
Lia Salvati
Davide Grassi

Outcomes of COVID-19 patients intubated after failure of non-invasive ventilation: a multicenter observational study

Annalisa Boscolo
Laura Pasin
FERS, for the COVID-19 VENETO ICU Network

The consequences of COVID-19 on social interactions: an online study on face covering

Marta Calbi
Nunzio Langiulli
Maria Alessandra Umiltà

Dogs distinguish human intentional and unintentional action

Britta Schünemann
Judith Keller
Juliane Bräuer

Positive Epstein–Barr virus detection in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients

Changzheng Chen

Alarming coastal vulnerability of the deltaic and sandy beaches of North Africa

Abderraouf Hzami
Essam Heggy
Saâdi Abdeljaouad

Defining priority areas for blue whale conservation and investigating overlap with vessel traffic in Chilean Patagonia, using a fast-fitting movement model

Luis Bedriñana-Romano
Rodrigo Hucke-Gaete
Daniel M. Palacios

Observation of rescue behaviour in wild boar ( Sus scrofa )

Michaela Masilkova
Miloš Ježek
Hynek Burda

Time course of the sensitivity and specificity of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgM and IgG antibodies for symptomatic COVID-19 in Japan

Yuki Nakano
Makoto Kurano
Yutaka Yatomi

Multidisciplinary assessment of the Abbott BinaxNOW SARS-CoV-2 point-of-care antigen test in the context of emerging viral variants and self-administration

Jennifer K. Frediani
Joshua M. Levy
Wilbur A. Lam

Regular intake of energy drinks and multivitamin supplements is associated with elevated plasma vitamin B6 levels in post-bariatric patients

Martina Tynes
Matthias Hepprich
Katharina Timper

Aggressive behaviour is affected by demographic, environmental and behavioural factors in purebred dogs

Salla Mikkola
Milla Salonen
Hannes Lohi

In vitro efficacy of artemisinin-based treatments against SARS-CoV-2

Yuyong Zhou
Kerry Gilmore
Peter H. Seeberger

Anthropogenic drought dominates groundwater depletion in Iran

Samaneh Ashraf
Amir AghaKouchak

COVID-19 vaccines that reduce symptoms but do not block infection need higher coverage and faster rollout to achieve population impact

David A. Swan
Chloe Bracis
Dobromir Dimitrov

A metabolomics comparison of plant-based meat and grass-fed meat indicates large nutritional differences despite comparable Nutrition Facts panels

Stephan van Vliet
James R. Bain
Kim M. Huffman

Detection of volcanic unrest onset in La Palma, Canary Islands, evolution and implications

José Fernández
Joaquín Escayo
Eumenio Ancochea

Internet memes related to the COVID-19 pandemic as a potential coping mechanism for anxiety

Umair Akram
Kamila Irvine
Jennifer Drabble

A molecular test based on RT-LAMP for rapid, sensitive and inexpensive colorimetric detection of SARS-CoV-2 in clinical samples

Catarina Amaral
Wilson Antunes
Catarina Pimentel

Country-level factors dynamics and ABO/Rh blood groups contribution to COVID-19 mortality

Alfonso Monaco
Ester Pantaleo
Roberto Bellotti

Musical components important for the Mozart K448 effect in epilepsy

Robert J. Quon
Michael A. Casey
Barbara C. Jobst

Investigation of diets associated with dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs using foodomics analysis

Caren E. Smith
Laurence D. Parnell
Lisa M. Freeman

Earliest evidence of herd-living and age segregation amongst dinosaurs

Adriana C. Mancuso
Vincent Fernandez

Canadian undergraduate men’s visual attention to cisgender women, cisgender men, and feminine trans individuals

Lanna J. Petterson
Paul L. Vasey

Brain structure changes associated with sexual orientation

Mikhail Votinov
Katharina S. Goerlich

Extreme miniaturization of a new amniote vertebrate and insights into the evolution of genital size in chameleons

Jörn Köhler
Miguel Vences

COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among adults in four major US metropolitan areas and nationwide

Ayman El-Mohandes
Trenton M. White
Jeffrey V. Lazarus

Weeklong improved colour contrasts sensitivity after single 670 nm exposures associated with enhanced mitochondrial function

Harpreet Shinhmar
Glen Jeffery

Modeling the effect of lockdown timing as a COVID-19 control measure in countries with differing social contacts

Tamer Oraby
Michael G. Tyshenko
Mustafa Al-Zoughool

Identification of CRF89_BF, a new member of an HIV-1 circulating BF intersubtype recombinant form family widely spread in South America

Elena Delgado
Aurora Fernández-García
Michael M. Thomson

Selective time-dependent changes in activity and cell-specific gene expression in human postmortem brain

Fabien Dachet
James B. Brown
Jeffrey A. Loeb

Effects of cannabis on visual function and self-perceived visual quality

Sonia Ortiz-Peregrina
Carolina Ortiz
Rosario G. Anera

Particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) as a potential SARS-CoV-2 carrier

Norefrina Shafinaz Md Nor
Chee Wai Yip
Mohd Shahrul Mohd Nadzir

The effect of ABO blood group and antibody class on the risk of COVID-19 infection and severity of clinical outcomes

Marwa Ali Almadhi
Abdulkarim Abdulrahman
Manaf AlQahtani

A retrospective cohort study of 12,306 pediatric COVID-19 patients in the United States

Vibhu Parcha
Katherine S. Booker
Pankaj Arora

Climate and the spread of COVID-19

Simiao Chen
Klaus Prettner
David E. Bloom

Examining the interplay between face mask usage, asymptomatic transmission, and social distancing on the spread of COVID-19

Adam Catching
Sara Capponi
Raul Andino

Association between coffee and green tea intake and pneumonia among the Japanese elderly: a case-control study

Kyoko Kondo
Kanzo Suzuki
The Pneumonia in Elderly People Study Group

Discovery of a new mammal species (Soricidae: Eulipotyphla) from Narcondam volcanic island, India

Manokaran Kamalakannan
Chandrakasan Sivaperuman
Kailash Chandra

Role of IgG against N-protein of SARS-CoV2 in COVID19 clinical outcomes

Mayank Batra
Runxia Tian
Mehdi Mirsaeidi

Menopause impacts human brain structure, connectivity, energy metabolism, and amyloid-beta deposition

Lisa Mosconi
Valentina Berti
Roberta Diaz Brinton

Ivermectin reduces in vivo coronavirus infection in a mouse experimental model

A. P. Arévalo

Excess protein enabled dog domestication during severe Ice Age winters

Maria Lahtinen
David Clinnick
Suvi Viranta

Psychedelics alter metaphysical beliefs

Christopher Timmermann
Hannes Kettner
Robin L. Carhart-Harris

Real world evidence of calcifediol or vitamin D prescription and mortality rate of COVID-19 in a retrospective cohort of hospitalized Andalusian patients

Carlos Loucera
María Peña-Chilet
Jose Manuel Quesada Gomez

Exercise improves the quality of slow-wave sleep by increasing slow-wave stability

Insung Park
Javier Díaz
Kaspar E. Vogt

Gradual onset of the Maunder Minimum revealed by high-precision carbon-14 analyses

Hiroko Miyahara
Fuyuki Tokanai
Hideyuki Hotta

Results of an early second PCR test performed on SARS-CoV-2 positive patients may support risk assessment for severe COVID-19

Barak Mizrahi
Maytal Bivas-Benita
Gabriel Chodick

Satellite mega-constellations create risks in Low Earth Orbit, the atmosphere and on Earth

Aaron C. Boley
Michael Byers

Influenza vaccination and the risk of COVID-19 infection and severe illness in older adults in the United States

Kelly Huang
Shu-Wen Lin
Chi-Chuan Wang

New spinosaurids from the Wessex Formation (Early Cretaceous, UK) and the European origins of Spinosauridae

Chris T. Barker
David W. E. Hone
Neil J. Gostling

Expansion and characterization of epithelial stem cells with potential for cyclical hair regeneration

Makoto Takeo
Kyosuke Asakawa
Takashi Tsuji

Durability of antibody response to vaccination and surrogate neutralization of emerging variants based on SARS-CoV-2 exposure history

Thomas W. McDade
Alexis R. Demonbreun
Elizabeth M. McNally

Multiwave pandemic dynamics explained: how to tame the next wave of infectious diseases

Giacomo Cacciapaglia
Corentin Cot
Francesco Sannino

An international comparison of age and sex dependency of COVID-19 deaths in 2020: a descriptive analysis

Peter Bauer
Jonas Brugger
Martin Posch

Organic matter and water from asteroid Itokawa

Q. H. S. Chan
A. Stephant
M. M. Grady

Origin and evolutionary history of domestic chickens inferred from a large population study of Thai red junglefowl and indigenous chickens

Mitsuo Nunome
Kornsorn Srikulnath

COVID-19 diagnosis by routine blood tests using machine learning

Matjaž Kukar
Gregor Gunčar
Marko Notar

The serotonin reuptake inhibitor Fluoxetine inhibits SARS-CoV-2 in human lung tissue

Melissa Zimniak
Luisa Kirschner
Jochen Bodem

Long-term stress in dogs is related to the human–dog relationship and personality traits

Amanda Höglin
Enya Van Poucke
Lina S. V. Roth

Correlation between CT findings and outcomes in 46 patients with coronavirus disease 2019

Guangming Li
Guihua Jiang

Inhibition of mitochondrial function by metformin increases glucose uptake, glycolysis and GDF-15 release from intestinal cells

Tamana Darwish
Fiona M. Gribble

Global prevalence of mental health issues among the general population during the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Surapon Nochaiwong
Chidchanok Ruengorn
Tinakon Wongpakaran

Probenecid inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication in vivo and in vitro

Jackelyn Murray
Robert J. Hogan
Ralph A. Tripp

UV-C irradiation is highly effective in inactivating SARS-CoV-2 replication

Mara Biasin
Andrea Bianco
Mario Clerici

The 20-million-year old lair of an ambush-predatory worm preserved in northeast Taiwan

Masakazu Nara
Shahin E. Dashtgard

Age constraints for the Trachilos footprints from Crete

Uwe Kirscher
Haytham El Atfy
Madelaine Böhme

Divergent reflections around the photon sphere of a black hole

Albert Sneppen

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on wellbeing and cognitive functioning of older adults

Sarah De Pue
Céline Gillebert
Eva Van den Bussche

Origin and diffusion of human Y chromosome haplogroup J1-M267

Hovhannes Sahakyan
Ashot Margaryan
Richard Villems

The association of dietary patterns with dietary inflammatory index, systemic inflammation, and insulin resistance, in apparently healthy individuals with obesity

Maryam Saghafi-Asl
Susan Mirmajidi
Vahideh Ebrahimzadeh Attari

Developing and validating COVID-19 adverse outcome risk prediction models from a bi-national European cohort of 5594 patients

Espen Jimenez-Solem
Tonny S. Petersen
Martin Sillesen

COVID-19 in South Africa: outbreak despite interventions

Malte Schröder
Andreas Bossert
Jan Schlüter

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Working with sources

How to Find Sources | Scholarly Articles, Books, Etc.

Published on June 13, 2022 by Eoghan Ryan . Revised on May 31, 2023.

It’s important to know how to find relevant sources when writing a research paper , literature review , or systematic review .

The types of sources you need will depend on the stage you are at in the research process , but all sources that you use should be credible , up to date, and relevant to your research topic.

There are three main places to look for sources to use in your research:

Research databases

Your institution’s library
Other online resources

Library resources, other online sources, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about finding sources.

You can search for scholarly sources online using databases and search engines like Google Scholar . These provide a range of search functions that can help you to find the most relevant sources.

If you are searching for a specific article or book, include the title or the author’s name. Alternatively, if you’re just looking for sources related to your research problem , you can search using keywords. In this case, it’s important to have a clear understanding of the scope of your project and of the most relevant keywords.

Databases can be general (interdisciplinary) or subject-specific.

You can use subject-specific databases to ensure that the results are relevant to your field.
When using a general database or search engine, you can still filter results by selecting specific subjects or disciplines.

Example: JSTOR discipline search filter

Check the table below to find a database that’s relevant to your research.

Google Scholar

To get started, you might also try Google Scholar , an academic search engine that can help you find relevant books and articles. Its “Cited by” function lets you see the number of times a source has been cited. This can tell you something about a source’s credibility and importance to the field.

Example: Google Scholar “Cited by” function

Boolean operators

Boolean operators can also help to narrow or expand your search.

Boolean operators are words and symbols like AND , OR , and NOT that you can use to include or exclude keywords to refine your results. For example, a search for “Nietzsche NOT nihilism” will provide results that include the word “Nietzsche” but exclude results that contain the word “nihilism.”

Many databases and search engines have an advanced search function that allows you to refine results in a similar way without typing the Boolean operators manually.

Example: Project Muse advanced search

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You can find helpful print sources in your institution’s library. These include:

Journal articles
Encyclopedias
Newspapers and magazines

Make sure that the sources you consult are appropriate to your research.

You can find these sources using your institution’s library database. This will allow you to explore the library’s catalog and to search relevant keywords. You can refine your results using Boolean operators .

Once you have found a relevant print source in the library:

Consider what books are beside it. This can be a great way to find related sources, especially when you’ve found a secondary or tertiary source instead of a primary source .
Consult the index and bibliography to find the bibliographic information of other relevant sources.

You can consult popular online sources to learn more about your topic. These include:

Crowdsourced encyclopedias like Wikipedia

You can find these sources using search engines. To refine your search, use Boolean operators in combination with relevant keywords.

However, exercise caution when using online sources. Consider what kinds of sources are appropriate for your research and make sure the sites are credible .

Look for sites with trusted domain extensions:

URLs that end with .edu are educational resources.
URLs that end with .gov are government-related resources.
DOIs often indicate that an article is published in a peer-reviewed , scientific article.

Other sites can still be used, but you should evaluate them carefully and consider alternatives.

If you want to know more about ChatGPT, AI tools , citation , and plagiarism , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

ChatGPT vs human editor
ChatGPT citations
Is ChatGPT trustworthy?
Using ChatGPT for your studies
What is ChatGPT?
Chicago style
Paraphrasing

Plagiarism

Types of plagiarism
Self-plagiarism
Avoiding plagiarism
Academic integrity
Consequences of plagiarism
Common knowledge

You can find sources online using databases and search engines like Google Scholar . Use Boolean operators or advanced search functions to narrow or expand your search.

For print sources, you can use your institution’s library database. This will allow you to explore the library’s catalog and to search relevant keywords.

It is important to find credible sources and use those that you can be sure are sufficiently scholarly .

Consult your institute’s library to find out what books, journals, research databases, and other types of sources they provide access to.
Look for books published by respected academic publishing houses and university presses, as these are typically considered trustworthy sources.
Look for journals that use a peer review process. This means that experts in the field assess the quality and credibility of an article before it is published.

When searching for sources in databases, think of specific keywords that are relevant to your topic , and consider variations on them or synonyms that might be relevant.

Once you have a clear idea of your research parameters and key terms, choose a database that is relevant to your research (e.g., Medline, JSTOR, Project MUSE).

Find out if the database has a “subject search” option. This can help to refine your search. Use Boolean operators to combine your keywords, exclude specific search terms, and search exact phrases to find the most relevant sources.

There are many types of sources commonly used in research. These include:

You’ll likely use a variety of these sources throughout the research process , and the kinds of sources you use will depend on your research topic and goals.

Scholarly sources are written by experts in their field and are typically subjected to peer review . They are intended for a scholarly audience, include a full bibliography, and use scholarly or technical language. For these reasons, they are typically considered credible sources .

Popular sources like magazines and news articles are typically written by journalists. These types of sources usually don’t include a bibliography and are written for a popular, rather than academic, audience. They are not always reliable and may be written from a biased or uninformed perspective, but they can still be cited in some contexts.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Ryan, E. (2023, May 31). How to Find Sources | Scholarly Articles, Books, Etc.. Scribbr. Retrieved March 20, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/working-with-sources/finding-sources/

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Year three of a global pandemic. A war in Ukraine. Inflation in the U.S. at a 40-year high. Small talk around the watercooler (mainly the virtual one, nowadays) certainly feels heavier than it used to.

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Companies that have thrived amid the pandemic and worker reshuffling have focused on worker well-being from the start. Unfortunately, for many employees across the globe, this may be the exception rather than the norm. As Gallup’s Jon Clifton put it, “Improving life at work isn’t rocket science, but the world is closer to colonizing Mars than it is to fixing the world’s broken workplaces.”

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The following are the 10 most popular articles of the year so far. We hope they will continue to help managers who are looking to support employee engagement and build thriving workplaces.

#1 Toxic Culture Is Driving the Great Resignation

Donald sull, charles sull, and ben zweig.

In this article, the authors discuss the top five predictors of employee turnover uncovered by their analysis of attrition data during the Great Resignation and share four actions that managers can take in the short term to improve employee satisfaction.

#2 Top Performers Have a Superpower: Happiness

Paul b. lester, ed diener, and martin seligman.

Research has found that happiness, a sense of well-being, and an optimistic outlook are powerful predictors of how well an employee will perform. Managers who consciously promote employee well-being and take steps to eliminate toxic leadership in their business units will reap the benefits.

#3 The Surprising Impact of Meeting-Free Days

Ben laker, vijay pereira, pawan budhwar, and ashish malik.

Spending too much time in meetings can detract from effective collaboration, derail workers during their most productive hours, and interrupt people’s train of thought. No-meeting policies permit team members to excel without breaking their momentum, but specific plans must be tailored to each unique organizational context to maximize the benefits. The authors suggest several ways to deploy a no-meeting policy or adjust an existing one.

#4 Orchestrating Workforce Ecosystems

Elizabeth j. altman, david kiron, robin jones, and jeff schwartz.

Research conducted by MIT SMR and Deloitte examines the challenges companies and managers face in leading and coordinating workforces that increasingly rely on external contributors.

#5 Why Every Leader Needs to Worry About Toxic Culture

Donald sull, charles sull, william cipolli, and caio brighenti.

According to research, the five most common elements of toxic workplace cultures — being disrespectful, noninclusive, unethical, cutthroat, and abusive — contribute the most to employee attrition and can damage company reputation. Being aware of these elements and understanding how they spread can help employers prevent and address them.

#6 Building the Cognitive Budget for Your Most Effective Mind

Jordan birnbaum.

There’s a limit to how much mental energy is available to us on any given day, so it’s essential that we spend it deliberately and thoughtfully. This article details the process of creating a cognitive budget, using techniques from positive psychology, cognitive behavioral therapy, and behavioral economics.

#7 Stop Telling Employees to Be Resilient

Liz fosslien and mollie west duffy.

When it comes to leadership, there’s a difference between demanding that employees be mentally tough and actually helping them take care of their mental health. The authors suggest five actions leaders can take to create a workplace that supports employees and fosters resilience.

#8 Effective Leaders Decide About Deciding

Nancy duarte.

Categorizing decisions by riskiness and urgency helps clarify when employees should move autonomously and when they should pull leaders into decision-making.

#9 leading change means changing how you lead, b. tom hunsaker and jonathan knowles.

Adapting your leadership approach is necessary for achieving the change your organization requires. The authors discuss three tasks — drawing the map, establishing the mindset, and communicating the message — that are essential to becoming a contextually effective leader.

#10 How Well-Designed Work Makes Us Smarter

Sharon k. parker and gwenith g. fisher.

Work that permits autonomy and demands problem-solving can bolster employees’ cognitive skills and ongoing learning. This article looks at how organizations and managers can use good work design to strengthen their workforce’s ability to adapt to new processes, tools, and roles.

About the Author

Ally MacDonald ( @allymacdonald ) is senior editor at MIT Sloan Management Review .

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How to Order and Format Author Names in Scientific Papers

As the world becomes more interconnected, the production of knowledge increasingly relies on collaboration. Scientific papers, the primary medium through which researchers communicate their findings, often feature multiple authors. However, authorship isn't merely a reflection of those who contributed to a study but often denotes prestige, recognition, and responsibility. In academic papers, the order of authors is not arbitrary. It can symbolize the level of contribution and the role played by each author in the research process. Deciding on the author order can sometimes be a complex and sensitive issue, making it crucial to understand the different roles and conventions of authorship in scientific research. This article will explore the various types of authors found in scientific papers, guide you on how to correctly order and format author names, and offer insights to help you navigate this critical aspect of academic publishing.

The first author

The first author listed in a scientific paper is typically the person who has made the most substantial intellectual contribution to the work. This role is often filled by a junior researcher such as a Ph.D. student or postdoctoral fellow, who has been intimately involved in almost every aspect of the project.

The first author usually plays a pivotal role in designing and implementing the research, including the formation of hypotheses, experimental design, data collection, data analysis, and interpretation of the findings. They also commonly take the lead in manuscript preparation, writing substantial portions of the paper, including the often-challenging task of turning raw data into a compelling narrative.

In academia, first authorship is a significant achievement, a clear demonstration of a researcher's capabilities and dedication. It indicates that the researcher possesses the skills and tenacity to carry a project from inception to completion. This position can dramatically impact a researcher's career trajectory, playing a critical role in evaluations for promotions, grants, and future academic positions.

However, being the first author is not just about prestige or professional advancement. It carries a weight of responsibility. The first author is generally expected to ensure the integrity and accuracy of the data presented in the paper. They are often the person who responds to reviewers' comments during the peer-review process and makes necessary revisions to the manuscript.

Also, as the first author, it is typically their duty to address any questions or critiques that may arise post-publication, often having to defend the work publicly, even years after publication.

Thus, first authorship is a role that offers significant rewards but also requires a strong commitment to uphold the principles of scientific integrity and transparency. While it's a coveted position that can be a steppingstone to career progression, the associated responsibilities and expectations mean that it should not be undertaken lightly.

The middle authors

The middle authors listed on a scientific paper occupy an essential, albeit sometimes ambiguous, role in the research project. They are typically those who have made significant contributions to the project, but not to the extent of the first author. This group often includes a mix of junior and senior researchers who have provided key input, assistance, or resources to the project.

The roles of middle authors can be quite diverse. Some might be involved in specific aspects of data collection or analysis. Others may bring specialized knowledge or technical skills essential to the project, providing expertise in a particular methodology, statistical analysis, or experimental technique. There might also be middle authors who have contributed vital resources to the project, such as unique reagents or access to a particular patient population.

In some fields, the order of middle authors reflects the degree of their contribution. The closer a middle author is to the first position, the greater their involvement, with the second author often having made the next largest contribution after the first author. This order may be negotiated among the authors, requiring clear communication and consensus.

However, in other disciplines, particularly those where large collaborative projects are common, the order of middle authors may not necessarily reflect their level of contribution. In such cases, authors might be listed alphabetically, or by some other agreed-upon convention. Therefore, it's crucial to be aware of the norms in your specific field when deciding the order of middle authors.

Being a middle author in a scientific paper carries less prestige and responsibility than being a first or last author, but it is by no means a minor role. Middle authors play a crucial part in the scientific endeavor, contributing essential expertise and resources. They are integral members of the research team whose collective efforts underpin the progress and achievements of the project. Without their diverse contributions, the scope and impact of scientific research would be significantly diminished.

The last author

In the listing of authors on a scientific paper, the final position carries a unique significance. It is typically occupied by the senior researcher, often the head of the laboratory or the principal investigator who has supervised the project. While they might not be involved in the day-to-day aspects of the work, they provide overarching guidance, mentorship, and often the resources necessary for the project's fruition.

The last author's role is multidimensional, often balancing the responsibilities of project management, funding acquisition, and mentorship. They guide the research's direction, help troubleshoot problems, and provide intellectual input to the project's design and interpretation of results. Additionally, they usually play a key role in the drafting and revision of the manuscript, providing critical feedback and shaping the narrative.

In academia, the last author position is a symbol of leadership and scientific maturity. It indicates that the researcher has progressed from being a hands-on contributor to someone who can guide a team, secure funding, and deliver significant research projects. Being the last author can have substantial implications for a researcher's career, signaling their ability to oversee successful projects and mentor the next generation of scientists.

However, along with prestige comes significant responsibility. The last author is often seen as the guarantor of the work. They are held accountable for the overall integrity of the study, and in cases where errors or issues arise, they are expected to take the lead in addressing them.

The convention of the last author as the senior researcher is common in many scientific disciplines, especially in the life and biomedical sciences. However, it's important to note that this is not a universal standard. In some fields, authors may be listed purely in the order of contribution or alphabetically. Therefore, an understanding of the specific norms and expectations of your scientific field is essential when considering author order.

In sum, the position of the last author, much like that of the first author, holds both honor and responsibility, reflecting a leadership role that goes beyond mere intellectual contribution to include mentorship, management, and accountability.

Formatting author names

When it comes to scientific publishing, details matter, and one such detail is the correct formatting of author names. While it may seem like a minor concern compared to the intellectual challenges of research, the proper formatting of author names is crucial for several reasons. It ensures correct attribution of work, facilitates accurate citation, and helps avoid confusion among researchers in the same field. This section will delve deeper into the conventions for formatting author names, offering guidance to ensure clarity and consistency in your scientific papers.

Typically, each author's full first name, middle initial(s), and last name are listed. It's crucial that the author's name is presented consistently across all their publications to ensure their work is correctly attributed and easily discoverable.

Here is a basic example following a common convention:

Standard convention: John D. Smith

However, conventions can vary depending on cultural naming practices. In many Western cultures, the first name is the given name, followed by the middle initial(s), and then the family name. On the other hand, in many East Asian cultures, the family name is listed first.

Here is an example following this convention:

Asian convention: Wang Xiao Long

When there are multiple authors, their names are separated by commas. The word "and" usually precedes the final author's name.

Here's how this would look:

John D. Smith, Jane A. Doe, and Richard K. Jones

However, author name formatting can differ among journals. Some may require initials instead of full first names, or they might have specific guidelines for handling hyphenated surnames or surnames with particles (e.g., "de," "van," "bin"). Therefore, it's always important to check the specific submission guidelines of the journal to which you're submitting your paper.

Moreover, the formatting should respect each author's preferred presentation of their name, especially if it deviates from conventional Western naming patterns. As the scientific community becomes increasingly diverse and global, it's essential to ensure that each author's identity is accurately represented.

In conclusion, the proper formatting of author names is a vital detail in scientific publishing, ensuring correct attribution and respect for each author's identity. It may seem a minor point in the grand scheme of a research project, but getting it right is an essential part of good academic practice.

The concept of authorship in scientific papers goes well beyond just listing the names of those involved in a research project. It carries critical implications for recognition, responsibility, and career progression, reflecting a complex nexus of contribution, collaboration, and intellectual leadership. Understanding the different roles, correctly ordering the authors, and appropriately formatting the names are essential elements of academic practice that ensure the rightful attribution of credit and uphold the integrity of scientific research.

Navigating the terrain of authorship involves managing both objective and subjective elements, spanning from the universally acknowledged conventions to the nuances particular to different scientific disciplines. Whether it's acknowledging the pivotal role of the first author who carried the project from the ground up, recognizing the valuable contributions of middle authors who provided key expertise, or highlighting the mentorship and leadership role of the last author, each position is an integral piece in the mosaic of scientific authorship.

Furthermore, beyond the order of authors, the meticulous task of correctly formatting the author names should not be underestimated. This practice is an exercise in precision, respect for individual identity, and acknowledgement of cultural diversity, reflecting the global and inclusive nature of contemporary scientific research.

As scientific exploration continues to move forward as a collective endeavor, clear and equitable authorship practices will remain crucial. These practices serve not only to ensure that credit is assigned where it's due but also to foster an environment of respect and transparency. Therefore, each member of the scientific community, from fledgling researchers to seasoned scientists, would do well to master the art and science of authorship in academic publishing. After all, it is through this collective recognition and collaboration that we continue to expand the frontiers of knowledge.

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Why Your Name Matters

By Maria Konnikova

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In 1948 , two professors at Harvard University published a study of thirty-three hundred men who had recently graduated, looking at whether their names had any bearing on their academic performance. The men with unusual names, the study found, were more likely to have flunked out or to have exhibited symptoms of psychological neurosis than those with more common names. The Mikes were doing just fine, but the Berriens were having trouble. A rare name, the professors surmised, had a negative psychological effect on its bearer.

Since then, researchers have continued to study the effects of names, and, in the decades after the 1948 study, these findings have been widely reproduced. Some recent research suggests that names can influence choice of profession , where we live , whom we marry , the grades we earn , the stocks we invest in, whether we’re accepted to a school or are hired for a particular job , and the quality of our work in a group setting. Our names can even determine whether we give money to disaster victims: if we share an initial with the name of a hurricane, according to one study, we are far more likely to donate to relief funds after it hits.

Much of the apparent influence of names on behavior has been attributed to what’s known as the implicit-egotism effect : we are generally drawn to the things and people that most resemble us. Because we value and identify with our own names, and initials, the logic goes, we prefer things that have something in common with them. For instance, if I’m choosing between two brands of cars, all things being equal, I’d prefer a Mazda or a Kia.

That view, however, may not withstand closer scrutiny. The psychologist Uri Simonsohn, from the University of Pennsylvania, has questioned many of the studies that purport to demonstrate the implicit-egotism effect, arguing that the findings are statistical flukes that arise from poor methodology. “It’s like a magician,” Simonsohn told me. “He shows you a trick, and you say, ‘I know it’s not real, but how did he pull it off?’ It’s all in the methodology.” A problem that he cites in some of these studies is an ignorance of base rates—the over-all frequency with which something, like a name, occurs in the population at large. It may be appealing to think that someone named Dan would prefer to be a doctor, but we have to ask whether there are so many doctor Dans simply because Dan is a common name, well-represented in many professions. If that’s the case, the implicit-egotism effect is no longer valid.

There are also researchers who have been more measured in their assessments of the link between name and life outcome. In 1984 , the psychologist Debra Crisp and her colleagues found that though more common names were better liked, they had no impact on a person’s educational achievement. In 2012, the psychologists Hui Bai and Kathleen Briggs concluded that “the name initial is at best a very limited unconscious prime, if any.” While a person’s name may unconsciously influence his or her thinking, its effects on decision-making are limited. Follow-up studies have also questioned the link between names and longevity , career choice and success , geographic and marriage preferences, and academic achievement .

However, it may not be the case that name effects don’t exist; perhaps they just need to be reinterpreted. In 2004 , the economists Marianne Bertrand and Sendhil Mullainathan created five thousand résumés in response to job ads posted in the classifieds in Chicago and Boston newspapers. Using Massachusetts birth certificates from between 1974 and 1979, Bertrand and Mullainathan determined which names appeared at a high frequency in one race but at a low frequency in another, creating groups of what they termed “white-sounding names” (like Emily Walsh and Greg Baker) and “black-sounding names” (like Lakisha Washington and Jamal Jones). They also created two types of candidates: a higher-quality group, with more experience and a more complete profile, and a lower-quality group, with some obvious gaps in employment or background. They sent two résumés from each qualification group to every employer, one with “black-sounding” name and the other with a “white-sounding” one (a total of four CVs per employer). They found that the “white-sounding” candidates received fifty per cent more callbacks, and that the advantage a résumé with a “white-sounding” name had over a résumé with a “black-sounding” name was roughly equivalent to eight more years of work experience. An average of one of every ten “white” résumés received a callback, versus one of every fifteen “black” résumés. Names, in other words, send signals about who we are and where we come from.

These findings have been demonstrated internationally as well. A Swedish study compared immigrants who had changed their Slavic, Asian, or African names, such as Kovacevic and Mohammed, to more Swedish-sounding, or neutral, ones, like Lindberg and Johnson. The economists Mahmood Arai and Peter Skogman Thoursie, from Stockholm University, found that this kind of name change substantially improved earnings: the immigrants with new names made an average of twenty-six per cent more than those who chose to keep their names.

The effects of name-signalling—what names say about ethnicity, religion, social sphere, and socioeconomic background—may begin long before someone enters the workforce. In a study of children in a Florida school district, conducted between 1994 and 2001, the economist David Figlio demonstrated that a child’s name influenced how he or she was treated by the teacher, and that differential treatment, in turn, translated to test scores. Figlio isolated the effects of the students’ names by comparing siblings—same background, different names. Children with names that were linked to low socioeconomic status or being black, as measured by the approach used by Bertrand and Mullainathan, were met with lower teacher expectations. Unsurprisingly, they then performed more poorly than their counterparts with non-black, higher-status names. Figlio found, for instance, that “a boy named ‘Damarcus’ is estimated to have 1.1 national percentile points lower math and reading scores than would his brother named ‘Dwayne,’ all else equal, and ‘Damarcus’ would in turn have three-quarters of a percentile ranking higher test scores than his brother named Da’Quan.’ ” Conversely, children with Asian-sounding names (also measured by birth-record frequency) were met with higher expectations, and were more frequently placed in gifted programs.

The economists Steven Levitt and Roland Fryer looked at trends in names given to black children in the United States from the nineteen-seventies to the early aughts. They discovered that names which sounded more distinctively “black” became, over time, ever more reliable signals of socioeconomic status. That status, in turn, affected a child’s subsequent life outcome, which meant that it was possible to see a correlation between names and outcomes, suggesting a name effect similar to what was observed in the 1948 Harvard study. But when Levitt and Fryer controlled for the child’s background, the name effect disappeared, strongly indicating that outcomes weren’t influenced by intrinsic qualities of the name itself. As Simonsohn notes, “Names tell us a lot about who you are.”

In the 1948 study, the majority of the uncommon names happened to be last names used as first names—a common practice among upper-class white families at the time. Those names, too, served as a signal, but in this case as one of privilege and entitlement—perhaps their unsuccessful bearers thought that they could get by without much work, or that they could expose neuroses that they would otherwise try to hide. We see a name, implicitly associate different characteristics with it, and use that association, however unknowingly, to make unrelated judgments about the competence and suitability of its bearer . The relevant question may not be “What’s in a name?” but, rather, “What signals does my name send—and what does it imply?”

Maria Konnikova is the author of “ Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes .”

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A Suspense Novelist’s Trail of Deceptions

By Ian Parker

By Patrick Radden Keefe

By Nicholas Thompson

By David Grann

How do I actually write the names of the article and the journal/magazine in my paper?

To write the name of a journal/magazine title in the body of your paper:

The title of the journal should be in italics - Example: Journal of the American Medical Association
Capitalize all of the major words.

To write the the name of an article title in the body of your paper:

The title of the article should be in quotation marks - E xample: "Tiger Woman on Wall Street"

For more information, please see the following pages on the APA Style Blog :

Title Case Capitalization
Use of Italics
Use of Quotation Marks

Thank you for using ASK US. For more information, please contact your Baker librarians .

Last Updated May 05, 2023
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Comments (8)

Do articles contain address? by Danny on Mar 20, 2017
On the APA References page add Retrieved from and the website address at the end of the citation. See the APA Help page for examples-https://guides.baker.edu/apahelp by ASK US on Mar 20, 2017
Is this information the same for scientific research journals and articles (still within APA)? by Haley on Apr 03, 2017
Yes, it is. See the APA Help guide for examples. guides.baker.edu/apahelp by ASK US on Apr 03, 2017
Do I have to put the name of the author of the article or website the article was from? by Hailee on May 01, 2017
The answer given was for the body of your paper. Here's how to cite an article both on the References page and in-text: Author Last Name, First & Middle Initials. (Date). Title of article: Subtitle of article. Title of Source, Volume(Issue), Page numbers. Retrieved from... In-text: Paraphrase: (Author Last Name, Year). Quotation: (Author Last Name, Year, p. Page Number). by ASK US on May 02, 2017
Do I put the title of essay in single quotation marks if I write in UK English (APA)? by joseph on Mar 25, 2019
See the APA Style Blog's post on How to Capitalize and Format Reference Titles in APA Style: https://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2012/03/how-to-capitalize-and-format-reference-titles-in-apa-style.html by Patrick Mullane on Mar 25, 2019

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Creating effective titles for your scientific publications

Associated data.

You work for months, maybe years, to plan and conduct your study. You write it up carefully, reporting every piece of data accurately. You get the approval of your co-authors and double-check everyone’s conflicts of interest for the disclosure form. You are ready to submit it when you remember that your work needs a title. “No problem,” you say. “I’ll just throw something together.”

Hold on—that’s not a good idea. The title of a scholarly article really does matter, for several reasons ( Video 1 , available online at www.VideoGIE.org ). It is the first thing a reader will see, so it helps him or her decide whether to read the rest of the article ( Fig. 1 ). 1 If you are publishing in a subscription model, it helps the reader decide whether to buy the whole article. Later, when the reader is writing his own article and wants to cite yours, he can find it more easily if you have given it an effective title. If the article is cited more, it will help your H-Index and G-Index, building your reputation and credibility. Furthermore, if your article is highly cited, it helps the publishing journal’s Impact Factor. Journal editors know which authors’ articles are highly cited and will react with interest when they see another article submitted by that author in the future.

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Object name is gr1.jpg

Example of a poor title. It has a problem with grammar (“Are” instead of “Is”), it attempts to be funny, it is in the form of a question, uses abbreviations, does not have clear keywords, and does not make the point of the article clear.

Several elements make up an effective title ( Table 1 ). Studies have shown that shorter titles receive more citations; most recommend 10 to 15 words or between 31 and 40 characters. 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 Punctuation is important: commas and colons have been shown to increase citations, but articles with question marks or exclamation points are cited less frequently. 7 Keywords that help researchers find your article when they use search algorithms are critical, so make sure that your title accurately reflects the key concepts of your article. 4 , 8 , 9

Table 1

Elements of a good title for a scholarly publication

Avoid abbreviations or jargon in your title. 3 , 4 , 9 People from other fields whose research intersects with yours might cite you if they can find your article, but if you use abbreviations or jargon specific to your field, their searches won’t uncover your article.

Some authors think attracting attention with humor or puns is a good idea, but that practice is actually counterproductive. 3 , 4 , 5 , 9 Your title should reflect the tone of the article and of the journal, and because we are dealing with scholarly publications, that means the title should be formal as well. If you are writing an editorial or opinion piece, you might get away with a less-formal title, but for the most part, making your readers laugh should not be a priority.

Poor grammar and incorrect spelling are jarring and irritating to many readers as well as to editors and reviewers, so check and double check that the title is grammatical and everything is spelled and punctuated correctly. If you are using an editing or translation service to assist you with the composition of your article, be sure to include the title in the content submitted for review to catch errors you may have overlooked.

Above all, remember that your title is a reader’s first impression of your article, so make sure that impression is effective. Do all you can to create a title that is professional and does justice to the article you have worked so hard to create.

All authors disclosed no financial relationships relevant to this publication.

Supplementary data

Creating effective titles for scientific articles takes planning and knowledge. In this video, we discuss the elements of a good title.

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