Response Article. These articles respond to a previously published article and are published in the same journal(Parker and Riley 1995, 65). A response article is usually shorter than a research article and easier to write, since it addresses only one article rather than a whole literature. It is like a long letter to the editor It is also easier to get published, as most journal editors want to spark debate and increase attention to their publications. The drawback is that such an article, precisely because it is easier to write, is less prestigious and counts for less. Still, it counts for more than the previously listed types and can be valuable in spreading your name. If you read a recently published article that sparks your interest, and you can confirm contradict, or expand on the author's argument, it can be worthwhile to write a response and send it to the editor of the journal in which the article appeared. Just be careful, as a junior scholar, not to use this as an opportunity to firebomb another author. Tenure exists for a reason; it protects the honest from the sensitive.