Empirical articles are those in which authors report on their own study. The authors will have collected data to answer a research question. Empirical research contains observed and measured examples that inform or answer the research question. The data can be collected in a variety of ways such as interviews, surveys, questionnaires, observations, and various other quantitative and qualitative research methods.
Empirical research is based on observed and measured phenomena and derives knowledge from actual experience rather than from theory or belief.
How do you know if a study is empirical? Read the subheadings within the article, book, or report and look for a description of the research "methodology." Ask yourself: Could I recreate this study and test these results?
Key characteristics to look for:
Another hint: some scholarly journals use a specific layout, called the "IMRaD" format, to communicate empirical research findings. Such articles typically have 4 components:
General Advice
Abstract: Get a sense of the article’s purpose and findings. Use it to assess if the article is useful for your research.
Skim: Review headings to understand the structure and label parts if needed.
Introduction/Literature Review: Identify the main argument, problem, previous work, proposed next steps, and hypothesis.
Methodology: Understand data collection methods, data sources, and variables.
Findings/Results: Examine tables and figures to see if they support the hypothesis without relying on captions.
Discussion/Conclusion: Determine if the findings support the argument/hypothesis and if the authors acknowledge any limitations.
Anatomy of a Research Paper by Richard D. Branson published in Respir Care. 2004 October; 49(10): 1222–1228.
How to Read a Scholarly Chemistry Artricle - Rider tutorial.
How to read and understand a scientific paper - a guide for non-scientists - Violent Metaphors (blog post).
Compare your article to this table to help determine you have located an empirical study/research report.
Look for the following words in the title/abstract: empirical, experiment, research, or study.
Section |
Defintion |
Abstract |
A short synopsis of the article’s content |
Introduction |
Need and rational of this particular research project with research question, statement, and hypothesis. |
Literature Review (sometimes included in the Introduction) |
Supporting their ideas with other scholarly research |
Methods |
Describes the methodology including a description of the participants, and a description of the research method, measure, research design, or approach to data analysis. |
Results or Findings |
Uses narrative, charts, tables, graphs, or other graphics to describe the findings of the paper |
Discussion/Conclusion/Implications |
Provides a discussion, summary, or conclusion, bringing together the research question, statement, |
References |
References all the articlesdiscussed and cited in the paper- mostly in the literature or results sections |