What is empirical research?
Empirical research is knowledge based on observation, measured phenomena, or experimentation rather than theory. This type of research is usually published in scholarly or peer-reviewed articles by individuals who conduct their own research.
How do you know if an article is empirical? 
Image source: "Empirical vs. Review Articles" by William H. Hannon Library - Loyola Marymount University is in the Public Domain, CC0
Look for:
- An abstract or introduction that states a specific research question.
- A Method, Results, and Discussion section within the article explaining how the study was conducted and the results of that study.
- Are the methods based on observation, surveys, experiments, etc?
- Are there graphs or charts that explain the study results?
- Is there detail that would allow you to recreate the study?
Watch out for:
- Literature reviews, case studies, etc., that speak to results but do not specify how a study was conducted.
- Articles that offer summaries, analysis, or commentary about the research that others conducted.
Finding empirical articles
- Some databases will let you limit or filter results. For example, in PsycINFO, you can limit to empirical research under Methodology in the "Advanced Search" section.
- Try adding keywords such as empirical research, quantitative method, qualitative method, survey, or another type of empirical research method. Also, look for the words "evidence-based practice."
