If the paper is very good, it is accepted for publication. This often means doing a few extra experiments to prove an unclear point in the paper. Many papers are rejected on the grounds of not having enough new data. When this happens, the scientist must either do much more work and resubmit the paper to the same journal, or try submitting the paper to another journal that may be more interested in the results. It is not easy getting into the more prestigious journals, so most scientific papers go to journals that are specific to the authors' field, having a much smaller readership.
Publication is also vital to science as a whole.
One of the cornerstones of the scientific process is the free exchange of information . Similarly, publication is essential for each scientist, because the review process gives the researcher a broader view of the work, and often suggests fruitful paths that the scientist may not have otherwise taken.