Types of Periodical Articles

If so, you will want to search in research databases for empirical research articles 

Empirical:

• Originating in or based on observation or experience
• Relying on experience or observation alone often without due regard for system and theory
• Capable of being verified or disproved by observation or experiment

Empirical. (n.d.). In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/empirical?utm_campaign=sd&utm_medium=serp&utm_source=jsonld

• Report on research that has been conducted by the authors themselves rather than only summarizing the work of other scholars
• Usually:
  • Found in scholarly, peer-reviewed journals
  • Have abstracts
  • Have substantial reference lists
  • Longer than 10 pages
• Often have charts displaying the data collected
• Usually have the following types of sections:
  • Introduction/Background
  • Literature Review
  • Method(s) (of data collection)
  • Results
  • Discussion
  • Conclusion

Common methods of data collection:

Quantitative Research:

“Generates statistics through the use of large-scale survey research, using methods such as questionnaires or structured interviews. If a market researcher has stopped you on the streets, or you have filled in a questionnaire which has arrived through the post, this falls under the umbrella of quantitative research. This type of research reaches many more people, but the contact with those people is much quicker than it is in qualitative research” (Dawson, 2002, p. 15).

Qualitative Research:

“Explores attitudes, behavior and experiences through such methods as interviews or focus groups. It attempts to get an in-depth opinion from participants. As it is attitudes, behavior and experiences which are important, fewer people take part in the research, but the contact with these people tends to last a lot longer. Under the umbrella of qualitative research there are many different methodologies” (e.g., action research, ethnography, grounded theory) (Dawson, 2002, p. 14).
 

Dawson, C. (2002). Practical research methods: A user-friendly guide to mastering research techniques and projects. How To Books.

Mixed Methods Research:

“The term mixed methods research is generally used to refer to research that combines quantitative and qualitative research approaches and methods in the same study” (Maxwell, 2018, p. 1070).
 

Maxwell, J. A. (2018). Mixed methods research. In B. B. Frey (Ed.,), SAGE encyclopedia of educational research. SAGE.

Look at each section of each of these articles--especially the Method(s) section. Note the differences between the types of research.
 

Example of a quantitative research article:

Lin, C.-Y., Huang, C.-K., Li, H.-X., Chang, T.-W., & Hsu, Y.-C. (2022). Will they stay or leave? Interplay of organizational learning culture and workplace mindfulness on job satisfaction and turnover intentions. Public Personnel Management, 51(1), 24-47.

Example of a qualitative research article:

Vinarski Perez, H. (2020). A view into managers' subjective experiences of public service motivation and work engagement: A qualitative study. Public Management Review, 22(7), 1090-1118.

Example of a mixed methods research article:

Collins, N., Chou, Y.-M., Warner, M., & Rowley, C. (2017). Human factors in East Asian virtual teamwork: A comparative study of Indonesia, Taiwan and Vietnam. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 28(10), 1475-1498.

While searching in research databases:

• First narrow your search to Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) articles

• Use the Research Article limiting option if the research database provides it

• Use the appropriate official Subjects if the research database provides that option

• When a research database does not have these options, add the following search string to your current search:

       research OR study OR data OR empirical OR quantitative OR qualitative OR "mixed methods"

NOTE: This does not guarantee that all articles in the results list will be empirical research articles. However, it provides a higher probability that they will be.
 

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