Actually, I suppose such a summary about cells could be called many things! It could be called "a summary", or "a review", or even "an article in the encyclopedia".

When discussing the entire comprehensive body of knowledge that has been accumulated regarding cells, though, perhaps the best way to look at it is not as individual facts but rather as one overall unifying view that has emerged. This view integrates all of the information into several large principles that form the foundation of our understanding of cells and their role in life. This comprehensive view is commonly referred to as "cell theory".

Very rarely is anything in science a finished story.Scientists are constantly expanding the boundaries of knowledge in every field.Often, we try to divide the work of scientists into classifications--give it names and boundaries. This makes it easier to discuss, and helps us understand which ideas are related to other ideas. These classifications are not set in stone, however, and some of the most intriguing results come from "cross-disciplinary research" (when someone works on projects and topics that cross traditional boundaries, like between physics and biology).

Because of that, it is hard to sum up the collection of all scientists' knowledge of something with a single term. However, the field of study usually referred to as "Cellular Biology" or"Microbiology" is a very wide-ranging and diverse collection of theories and facts that encompass most everything that scientists have learned about cells and the processes of life.