phd

empirical research databases

  • Empirical Research
  • What is Empirical Research?

Introduction

Finding empirical research in golden library one search, finding empirical research in eric, psycinfo, cinahl, and pubmed.

  • Designing Empirical Research
  • Case Sudies

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.

G olden 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 .)

  • Action Research
  • Case Studies
  • Ethnography
  • Evaluation Methods
  • Evaluation Research
  • Experiments
  • Focus Groups
  • Field Studies
  • Mail Surveys
  • Mixed Methods Research
  • Naturalistic Observation
  • Participant Observation
  • Participatory Research
  • Qualitative Research
  • Quantitative Research
  • Questionnaires
  • Statistical Analysis
  • Statistical Studies
  • Telephone Surveys
  • ERIC(For Education topics)
  • PsycINFO(for Psychology topics)
  • CINAHL (for Nursing and Allied Health topics)
  • PubMed (for Health topics)

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":

  • Use the "Advanced Search"
  • Type your keywords into the search boxes
  • Scroll down to "Publication Type," and choose "Reports: Research"
  • Choose other limiters, such as publication date, if needed
  • Click on the "Search" button

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 :

  • Scroll down the page to "Methodology," (it's all the way at the bottom) and choose "Empirical Study"
  • Choose other limits, such as publication date, if needed

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: 

  • Under "Limit your results," check off "Evidence-Based Practice"
  • Choose other limits, such as published date, if needed

Another alternative is to use terminology recommended by the CINAHL Headings list. Some useful keywords are:

  • Experimental Studies
  • Nonexperimental Studies
  • Qualitative Studies
  • Quantitative Studies

There are two ways to find empirical articles in  PubMed :

One technique is to limit your search results after you perform a search:

  • Type in your keywords and click on the "Search" button
  • To the left of your results, under "Article Types," click on "Customize"
  • Choose the types of studies that interest you, and click on the "Show" button

Another alternative is to construct a more sophisticated search:

  • From PubMed's main screen, click on "Advanced" link underneath the search box
  • On the Advanced Search Builder screen type your keywords into the search boxes
  • Change the dropdown box on the left from "All Fields" to "Publication Type"
  • To the right of Publication Type, click on "Show Index List" and choose a methodology that interests you. You can choose more than one by holding down the "Ctrl" or "⌘" on your keyboard as you click on each methodology
  • << Previous: What is Empirical Research?
  • Next: Designing Empirical Research >>
  • Last Updated: Sep 9, 2024 2:14 PM
  • URL: https://enmu.libguides.com/EmpiricalResearch

Penn State University Libraries

Empirical research in the social sciences and education.

  • What is Empirical Research and How to Read It
  • Finding Empirical Research in Library Databases
  • Designing Empirical Research
  • Ethics, Cultural Responsiveness, and Anti-Racism in Research
  • Citing, Writing, and Presenting Your Work

Contact the Librarian at your campus for more help!

Ellysa Cahoy

Introduction

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 Penn State's most popular Education and Behavioral/Social Sciences databases. If you need further help, contact a Librarian at your location . 

Finding Empirical Research in LionSearch

  • LionSearch This link opens in a new window

LionSearch does not have a method for locating empirical research. Using "empirical" as a keyword will find some studies, but miss many others. Consider using one of the more specialized databases below. 

Finding Empirical Research in PsycINFO (ProQuest version, for Psychology topics)

  • PsycINFO (via ProQuest) This link opens in a new window more... less... PsycINFO provides access to international literature in psychology and related disciplines. Unrivaled in its depth of psychological coverage and respected worldwide for its high quality, the database is enriched with literature from an array of disciplines related to psychology such as psychiatry, education, business, medicine, nursing, pharmacology, law, linguistics, and social work. Nearly all records contain nonevaluative summaries, and all records from 1967 to the present are indexed using the Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms.

To find empirical articles in PsycINFO (ProQuest version):

  • Use the "Advanced Search"
  • Type your keywords into the search boxes
  • Scroll down the page to "Methodology," and choose "Empirical Study"
  • Choose other limits, such as publication date, if needed
  • Click on the "Search" button

Finding Empirical Research in ERIC (ProQuest version, for Education topics)

  • ERIC (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window more... less... ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center) is the major database for education literature, sponsored by the U.S. Department. of Education. The same database content is available on many platforms.
  • Action Research
  • Case Studies
  • Data Analysis
  • Experiments
  • Focus Groups
  • Field Studies
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Mixed Methods
  • Qualitative Research
  • Questionnaires
  • Statistical Analysis
  • Statistical Studies

Finding Empirical Research in Criminal Justice Abstracts (EBSCO version)

  • Criminal Justice Abstracts This link opens in a new window more... less... Provides abstracts of articles from the major journals in criminology and related disciplines, as well as books and reports from government and nongovernmental agencies. For each document, an informative summary of the findings, methodology, and conclusions is provided. Topics include crime trends, prevention projects, corrections, juvenile delinquency, police, courts, offenders, victims, and sentencing.

Criminal Justice Abstracts (EBSCO version) does not have a simple method to locate empirical research. Using "empirical" as a keyword will find some studies, but miss others.

If you are interested in studies that employ a specific type of research methodology, use the Criminal Justice Abstracts subject index to identify the best search terms for it. Some methodological terms that are commonly used in Criminal Justice Abstracts are:

  • Empirical Research
  • Quantitative Research

Finding Empirical Research in Sociological Abstracts (ProQuest version)

  • Sociological Abstracts This link opens in a new window more... less... CSA Sociological Abstracts abstracts and indexes the international literature in sociology and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences. The database provides abstracts of journal articles and citations to book reviews drawn from over 1,700 serials publications, and also provides abstracts of books, book chapters, dissertations, and conference papers. Records added after 1974 contain in-depth and nonevaluative abstracts of journal articles.
  • Content Analysis
  • Discourse Analysis
  • Ethnography
  • Grounded Theory
  • Observation
  • Quantitative Analysis

Finding Empirical Research in PubMed (NIH version, for health topics)

  • PubMed (Medline) This link opens in a new window more... less... PubMed is a web interface that allows you to search MEDLINE, the National Library of Medicine's premier database of citations and abstracts for biomedical research articles. The core subject is medicine, but subject coverage also includes bioethics, biology, chemistry, dentistry, environmental health, genetics, gerontology, health care planning and administration, history of medicine, hospital administration, microbiology, nutrition, nursing (International Nursing Index), physiology, pre-clinical sciences, public health, sports medicine, veterinary medicine and zoology. MEDLINE covers over 4,800 journals published in the United States and 70 other countries. The database contains over 15 million citations dating back to 1950. Coverage is worldwide and updated weekly. Learn more about PubMed at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/about/. or Try the Tutorial at: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/pubmed_tutorial/m1001.html

There are 2 ways to find empirical articles in PubMed (NIH version):

One technique is to limit your search results after you perform a search:

  • Type in your keywords and click on the "Search" button
  • To the left of your results, under "Article Types," check off the types of studies that interest you

Another alternative is to construct a more sophisticated search:

  • From PubMed's main screen, click on "Advanced" link underneath the search box
  • On the Advanced Search Builder screen type your keywords into the search boxes
  • Change one of the empty boxes from "All Fields" to "Publication Type"
  • To the right of Publication Type, click on "Show Index List" and choose methodologies that interest you. 

Finding Empirical Research in CINAHL (EBSCO version, for Nursing and Allied Health topics)

  • CINAHL (Cumulative Index for Nursing and Allied Health) This link opens in a new window more... less... One of two major databases for nursing, providing references to over 1,800 nursing and allied health journal articles in addition to citations for book chapters, nursing dissertations, association publications, educational software, conference proceedings and selected full-text for state nursing journal articles, legal cases, patient education material, research instruments, standards of practice, critical paths, nurse practice acts, drugs, clinical innovations and government publications. References for alternative/complementary medicine, consumer health and health sciences librarianship are also included. Coverage: 1982 - Present. Updates: Monthly.

research OR studies. Then, in the same row, change "Selected a Field" to "SU Subject" to obtain results that have been tagged with these words.   

If you are interested in studies that employ a specific type of research methodology, use CINAHL's Subject Headings list to identify the best search terms for it. Some methodological terms that are commonly used in CINAHL are:

  • Clinical Trials
  • Experimental Studies
  • Qualitative Studies
  • Quantitative Studies
  • Randomized Controlled Trials
  • Time and Motion Studies
  • Under "Limit your results," check off "Evidence-Based Practice"
  • Choose other limits, such as published date, if needed

Finding Empirical Research in Worldwide Political Science Abstracts (ProQuest version)

  • Worldwide Political Science Abstracts This link opens in a new window more... less... Worldwide Political Science Abstracts is building on the merged backfiles of Political Science Abstracts, published by IFI / Plenum, 1975-2000, and ABC POL SCI, published by ABC-CLIO, 1984-2000. The database provides citations, abstracts, and indexing of the international serials literature in political science and its complementary fields, including international relations, law, and public administration / policy. The serials list of the new database is actively under construction, with a focus on expanding international coverage. As of February 2004 approximately 1,432 titles are being monitored for coverage; this list will continue to grow.

Worldwide Political Science Abstracts (ProQuest version) 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 use the Advanced search in Worldwide Political Science Abstracts and add the following string to one of the search boxes: analysis OR research OR studies. Then, in the same row, change the "Anywhere" field to "All Subjects & Indexing: SUBJECT" to obtain results that have been tagged with these words. 

If you are interested in studies that employ a specific type of research methodology, use Worldwide Political Science Abstracts' thesaurus to identify the best search terms for it. Some methodological terms that are commonly used in WPSA are:

  • Public Opinion Research

Finding Empirical Research in Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts (ProQuest version)

  • Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts (LLBA) This link opens in a new window more... less... The definitive database on the nature and use of language, Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts covers three fundamental areas: research in linguistics (the nature and structure of human speech); research in language.

One technique is to use the Advanced search in LLBA and add the following string to one of the search boxes: analysis OR research OR studies. Then, in the same row, change the "Anywhere" field to "All Subjects & Indexing: SUBJECT" to obtain results that have been tagged with these words. 

If you are interested in studies that employ a specific type of research methodology, use LLBA's thesaurus to identify the best search terms for it. Some methodological terms that are commonly used in LLBA are:

  • Computer Modeling and Simulation
  • << Previous: What is Empirical Research and How to Read It
  • Next: Designing Empirical Research >>
  • Last Updated: Aug 13, 2024 3:16 PM
  • URL: https://guides.libraries.psu.edu/emp