Empirical research is published in books and in scholarly, peer-reviewed journals. However, most library databases do not offer straightforward ways to locate empirical research. Below are tips for some of ENMU's most popular Education and Behavioral/Social Sciences databases.
Golden Library One Search does not have a method for locating empirical research. Using "empirical" as a keyword will find some studies, but miss many others. Below is a list of keywords that can also be helpful in locating specific types of empirical studies. However, if you aren't looking for a specific type of research you will have to read the abstracts and methodology sections to see if the paper qualifies (See What is Empirical Research.)
ERIC does not have a simple method to locate empirical research. Using "empirical" as a keyword will find some studies, but miss others. One technique is to search for "Research Reports":
If you prefer scholarly journals, look to the left side of the results screen. Under "Source Type," choose "Scholarly Journals"
To find empirical articles in PsycINFO:
CINAHL does not have a simple method to locate empirical research. One technique is to search for "evidence-based practice" items. This method tends to find meta-analyses and systematic reviews that combine the results of numerous studies:
Another alternative is to use terminology recommended by the CINAHL Headings list. Some useful keywords are:
There are two ways to find empirical articles in PubMed:
One technique is to limit your search results after you perform a search:
Another alternative is to construct a more sophisticated search: