{"id":7303,"date":"2024-09-16T16:09:10","date_gmt":"2024-09-16T15:09:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/subject-support\/?p=7303"},"modified":"2026-09-26T17:57:26","modified_gmt":"2026-09-26T16:57:26","slug":"finding-empirical-and-methodological-research-articles-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/subject-support\/finding-empirical-and-methodological-research-articles-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Finding empirical and methodological research articles"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When it comes to research methods or research methodologies, there can be a lot of unfamiliar terms and concepts to get to grips with. One question we\u2019re often asked by masters business students is how to find empirical and methodological research articles. It\u2019s a good question as it can be quite tricky to locate articles on these topics, so here\u2019s some advice on how you can go about searching for them in Library Search and the databases that we subscribe to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo by  Janko Ferli\u010d<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What is the difference between empirical and methodological research?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s start by defining our key terms, so we know what to look out for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Empirical research<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Empirical research is based on observed and measured phenomena and derives knowledge from actual experience rather than from theory or belief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you know if a study is empirical? Read the subheadings within the article, book, or report and look for a description of the research methodology<\/strong>. Ask yourself: Could I recreate this study and test these results?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key characteristics to look for:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n