Abstract
Scientific communication has evolved over time and the formats of scientific writing, including its stylistic modules, have changed accordingly. Research articles from the past fit a research world that had not been taken over by the internet, electronic searches, the new media and even the science mass production of today and reflect a reality where scientific publications were designed to be read and appreciated by actual readers. It is therefore useful to have a look back to what science looked like in the past and examine the biomedical literature from older archives because several features of those publications may actually harbor vital insights for today’s communication. Maintaining a vivid awareness of the evolution of science language and modalities of communication may ensure a better and steadfast progression and ameliorate academic writing in the years to come. With this goal in mind, the present commentary set out to review a 1948 scientific report by I.L. Bennett Jr, entitled “A study on the relationship between the fevers caused by bacterial pyrogens and by the intravenous injection of the sterile exudates of acute inflammation”, which appeared in the Journal of Experimental Medicine in September 1948.
Highlights
More than 3 million scientific manuscripts are published each year in over 30,000 peer reviewed journals and these figures are growing [1]
Bennett Jr, entitled “A study on the relationship between the fevers caused by bacterial pyrogens and by the intravenous injection of the sterile exudates of acute inflammation”, which appeared in the Journal of Experimental Medicine in September 1948
The biomedical literature is estimated to make up a large portion of these published studies [2] and the introduction of internet has opened up the possibility to share and exchange information across research groups to a point that was unthinkable even in the recent past [3]
Summary
More than 3 million scientific manuscripts are published each year in over 30,000 peer reviewed journals and these figures are growing [1]. The biomedical literature is estimated to make up a large portion of these published studies [2] and the introduction of internet has opened up the possibility to share and exchange information across research groups to a point that was unthinkable even in the recent past [3]. The high rate of publications and the gargantuan amount of scientific literature have led the scientific community to question what optimal ways to communicate are. The efforts to optimize publications in the biomedical field have led to several format consensuses for different types of publications, such as the Consort statement for RCTs [17] or PRISMA statement for reviews [18]. In short, facing an era of globalized research, collaborations and literature [19,20]
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