In my field (physics) I find that an increasing number of journals allow supplemental materials. You provide the main story in the text, but can add a lot in t

In my field (physics) I find that an increasing number of journals allow supplemental materials. You provide the main story in the text, but can add a lot in the supplemental materials. For example, suppose we have discovered a new material with some exciting properties. There is a fair amount of characterization that we do just to convince ourselves that we made what we think we made. A lot of this can go into the supplemental materials for those that want to make sure that we have done the standard sanity checks. A long time ago, you would write a short letter, then a longer report. That fell away, but I am really a fan of supplemental materials when used correctly.