Empirical research is based on observed and measured phenomena and derives knowledge from actual experience rather than from theory or belief.
Key characteristics to look for:
- Statement about the methodology being used
- Research questions to be answered
- Definition of the group or phenomena being studied
- Process used to study this group or phenomena, including any controls or instruments such as tests or surveys
- Question to ask while reading: Could I recreate this study and test these results?
- The abstract of the article should provide a description of the methodology
There are several different sections of reports of empirical studies relating to the different steps of the scientific method:
- Abstract – A report of an empirical study includes an abstract that provides a very brief summary of the research.
- Introduction – The introduction sets the research in a context, which provides a review of related research and develops the hypotheses for the research.
- Method – The method section is a description of how the research was conducted, including who the participants were, the design of the study, what the participants did, and what measures were used.
- Results – The results section describes the outcomes of the measures of the study.
- Discussion – The discussion section contains the interpretations and implications of the study.
- General Discussion – There may be more than one study in the report; in this case, there are usually separate Method and Results sections for each study followed by a general discussion that ties all the research together.
- References - A references section contains information about the articles and books cited in the report
(Information taken from http://psychologyresearchhelp.wiki.usfca.edu/Empirical+Research)