If you are new to conducting research:
Consider reviewing the Starting Your Research tutorial to learn the phases and processes of doing research.
For general library information: New to Using the Library
According to The Sage Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research Methods, an empirical article contains research based on observation and experience as opposed to belief or theory.
To identify whether you have an empirical article, look for any mention of a study or an observation, if a survey or questionnaire was administered, data collected, measurement or assessment used, or an interview conducted.
Empirical articles will often contain the following sections:
To locate empirical articles through the Library, you may use PsycInfo which is a database that allows you to limit to “empirical study” within the Methodology search limiter under Search Options.
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-5 by Use the Library Search on the Library's Homepage to find books.
Finding Papers: use
SSRN (Social Science Research Network)
SSRN is a searchable online library that enables authors to post their papers and abstracts easily and free of charge. The vast majority of papers can be downloaded free of charge as well. The only exceptions are papers whose copyright is held by third parties that request a download fee. SSRN provides a space for a variety of content types to be accessed beyond the traditional research article, including gray literature, book reviews, multimedia files, and datasets.
ICPSR (Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research) ICPSR maintains and provides access to a vast archive of social science data for research and instruction (over 14,000 discrete studies/surveys with more than 65,000 datasets). Since 1963, ICPSR has offered training in quantitative methods to facilitate effective data use.
