LibGuides: Publication Cycle: Introduction

Introduction

The Publication Cycle tells the story of a research idea as it appears in the published literature from inception to accepted orthodoxy. Understanding the publication cycle is helpful because:

it provides a map of the literature, giving an overview of material available to you and where you are likely to find it;
literature produced at each stage of the cycle has a particular function, understanding this helps you to use literature appropriately;
using the publication cycle provides you with a model for systematically searching the literature.