Research Guides: Empirical Research in the Social Sciences and Education: Finding Empirical Research

Intro

Empirical research is published in scholarly, peer-reviewed journals and in scholarly books. However, most databases and websites don't offer straightforward ways to locate empirical research. Check out the tips below on how to locate empirical sources.

PsycInfo: Use the Drop Down

PsycInfo: this database has tons of peer-reviewed articles, limit to empirical sources by going to "Advanced Search" and selecting "Empirical Study" under the Methodology dropdown:

Education Source: Using Keywords

Education Source: one of the largest databases for education research. This database unfortunately doesn't have a handy drop-down to limit to empirical sources. Instead, use the phrase "empirical study" or one of the thesaurus phrases below:

Action Research	Case Study	Content Analysis	Data Analysis	Ethnography
Evaluation Methods	Experiments	Focus Groups	Field Studies	Interviews
Longitudinal Studies	Mail Surveys	Mixed Methods Research	Naturalistic Observation	Online Surveys
Participant Observation	Participatory Research	Qualitative Research	Questionnaires	Research
Statistical Analysis	Statistical Studies	Statistical Surveys	Telephone Surveys	Use Studies