SUNY Genesee Library (8:13 min)

What is an Empirical Article?

An empirical research article reports the results of a study that uses data derived from actual observation or experimentation.

How to Recognize an Empirical Article:

• The article is published in a scholarly, peer-reviewed journal.

• The article abstract mentions a study, observation, # of participants/subjects, analysis.

• The article has charts, graphs or statistical analysis.

• The article is likely to be more than 5 pages long.

• The article contains the sections below (exact terms may vary).

Empirical research articles typically have the following sections:

• Abstract

• Introduction

• Methods

• Results

• Discussion

• References/Bibliography

Are these articles Empirical?

Test your research skills 

1. Is marriage associated with decreases or increases in sexism?
2. Cohabiting couples economic organization and marriage patterns across social classes
3. Women and multiple roles: myths and reality
4. Undoing gendered identities? 
5. The gendered family model: An integrative framework of gender in the family