About the Journal

Aims and scope

Discovery is a multidisciplinary scholarly journal concerned with how knowledge is developed, tested, and shared. Its purpose is to provide a place for research that deepens understanding: of the natural world, of technologies and systems, and of human experience. The journal welcomes both work situated within a well-defined field and contributions that draw meaningfully on more than one discipline. Breadth of scope is accompanied by a consistent expectation of intellectual care, methodological clarity, and a contribution that readers can evaluate.

The journal's scope includes the physical and mathematical sciences; life and environmental sciences; engineering and technology; health and biomedical research; social and behavioral sciences; and the humanities. Research at the boundaries of these areas is welcome. These fields represent an inclusive scope rather than separate hierarchies of importance. Authors should identify the scholarly conversation their work enters and show how the question, approach, and conclusions relate to that context.

What we publish

Discovery considers original empirical research, theoretical studies, methodological contributions, and critical reviews of scholarship. Empirical work may use quantitative, qualitative, experimental, observational, or mixed methods, provided the approach is appropriate to the question. Theoretical work should develop a clear argument and engage seriously with relevant literature. Methods papers should explain the problem addressed, the proposed approach, and the evidence supporting its usefulness. Reviews should offer a reasoned synthesis or critical assessment, with a transparent account of how the literature was selected and examined.

A useful contribution need not depend on a striking positive result. Replication, carefully reported negative or inconclusive findings, and work that refines an existing account can advance understanding. In each case, authors should explain what can reasonably be learned from the study and where uncertainty remains. Novelty is considered in relation to scholarly value, rather than as a substitute for reliable evidence or coherent reasoning.

How work is assessed

Editorial assessment considers the significance and clarity of the research question, the suitability and transparency of the methods, the quality of the evidence or argument, and the relationship between the conclusions and their support. Appropriate engagement with earlier work, ethical conduct, and clear communication also matter. Standards are applied with attention to disciplinary differences: the evidence needed to support an experimental finding is not identical to that required for a historical interpretation or a philosophical argument.

The journal uses double-anonymous peer review. Authors prepare manuscripts without identifying information, and author and reviewer identities are withheld from one another during review. Editorial screening precedes external review, and submission does not guarantee that a manuscript will be sent to reviewers or accepted. Authors are expected to respond substantively to editorial and reviewer comments and to make the limits of their work visible.

Readers and access

Discovery is intended for researchers, educators, students, and other readers seeking careful scholarship within and beyond their own specialties. Authors are encouraged to define specialized terms and make the wider relevance of their work understandable without losing the precision their subject requires.

Submission, peer review, and publication carry no charges. Published articles are free to read. Authors retain copyright, and articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license, which permits noncommercial sharing and adaptation with appropriate attribution, a license link, and an indication of changes. Material credited to another rights holder may have separate conditions of use.