Short communications, reviews and explainers

Short communication

A short communication reports one finding that is complete enough to share now: a new result, a method, a data set, or a negative result worth knowing.

Structure

Section	What goes in it
Introduction	Two to four sentences: the problem, why now, your contribution. No long literature review. Cite the few essential works.
Method and results	What you did and what you found, together, with one or two figures or tables.
Conclusion	What it means and what should follow.

Keep in mind

• One message. If you have two, write two, or a full paper.
• As rigorous as a full paper, only shorter. The method must still be repeatable.
• Usually 1,000 to 2,500 words, with ten to fifteen references.

Review article

A review tells the reader what is known about a topic, from the published work, and what is still open. It does not report new experiments.

Structure

Section	What goes in it
Introduction	The topic, why a review is needed now, and what this one covers.
Scope and method	Where you searched, the search terms, the years, what you included and left out, and how many works you cover.
Background	The terms and the way you group the field.
Themes	The body, one sub-heading for each theme.
Open challenges	What is not yet known, and where the field should go.
Conclusion	The main things a reader should take away.

Keep in mind

• Bring the work together; do not list it. “Smith found A. Jones found B.” is a list. “Three studies agree that A, and they differ on B because…” is a review.
• Say how you chose the literature. A reader must be able to judge whether anything was left out.
• Be balanced. Report findings that disagree with your own view.
• A table that compares the studies is often the most useful part.
• Recent sources. Most of the reference list should be from the last five to ten years, with the founding works.

Explainer article

An explainer makes one idea clear to readers outside the field: students, practitioners, policy makers, the public.

Structure

Section	What goes in it
What this is about	The idea in one paragraph, and why the reader should care.
The key idea	The core of it, with an analogy from everyday life.
How it works	Step by step, with a figure.
Why it matters	What it changes, with an example.
Common misconceptions	What people often get wrong.
Going further	Where to read more.

Keep in mind

• Write for one person: a bright reader who does not know your field.
• A good analogy is the heart of it. Bring it in early and use it again.
• No jargon without an explanation. If a term is needed, define it once, plainly.
• Examples before rules.
• Short: 800 to 2,000 words.
• Still accurate. Simple is not the same as wrong. Cite your sources.