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