Empirical & Descriptive Articles: Empirical vs. Descriptive

Empirical articles are articles that report research findings from an original study.

Empirical Articles:

• Articles that report research findings from an original study
• Always contain a “Methods” section
• Usually discusses a sample
• Tells the reader how the research was done
• May contain statistics or words to describe findings
• Can be found in databases/search engines and academic journals
• Used for research papers that need to be evidence-based & to learn about new research studies

Descriptive articles are articles that describe a topic and sometimes have a literature review but do not include a research study. They may use other researcher’s findings to create a new way of looking at an issue.

Descriptive Articles:

• Use other researcher findings to create a new way of looking at an issue
• Scholarly
• May contain statistics from other research
• May have “literature review”, findings, and/or “conclusions sections
• Can be found in databases/search engines, Academic Journals, & magazines
• Use for general information gathering & research papers