Scholarly communication is the process of dissemination research results. It is important that the researcher publish their results so it can reach other research, as well as society at large. The goal for the researcher is:
The process looks like the image above. First, the researcher gets an idea, then they apply for funding and grants to be able to conduct the research project. The preliminary findings of the project are presented at seminars and conferences. The final result can be published, for example as a peer-reviewed journal article.
Publishing in an academic journal is oftentimes the goal for researchers. By getting published it is easier for the researcher to reach other researchers. In conjunction with publishing and scholarly communication you usually also encounter citations, bibliometrics, peer review and open access.
Bibliometric is a quantitative analysis of research publications, for example number of citations, which is how often the text is mentioned by other researchers. The more citations an article has, the higher its impact factor which is used as standardized way of measuring scientific impact. Before an article is published it goes through peer-review, which means that the text is checked and commented on by other researchers.
When research output is considered established knowledge it can be included in educational material and dictionaries.