Empirical research is published in scholarly, peer-reviewed journals and in scholarly books. However, most databases and websites don't offer straightforward ways to locate empirical research. Check out the tips below on how to locate empirical sources.
Some databases provide a "Empirical Study" limiter, which you can usually find under "Advanced Search"
Some databases (including LibrarySearch) do not have handy drop-downs to limit to empirical sources. Instead, use the phrase "empirical study" or one of these thesaurus phrases to find relevant sources:
| Action Research | Case Study | Content Analysis | Data Analysis | Ethnography |
| Evaluation Methods | Experiments | Focus Groups | Field Studies | Interviews |
| Longitudinal Studies | Mail Surveys | Mixed Methods Research | Naturalistic Observation | Online Surveys |
| Participant Observation | Participatory Research | Qualitative Research | Questionnaires | Research |
| Statistical Analysis | Statistical Studies | Statistical Surveys | Telephone Surveys | Use Studies |