An empirical article reports the findings of a study conducted by the authors and uses data gathered from an experiment or observation. An empirical study is verifiable and "based on facts, systematic observation, or experiment, rather than theory or general philosophical principle" (APA Databases Methodology Field Values). In other words, it tells the story of a research conducted, doing it in great detail. The study may utilize quantitative research methods to produce numerical data and seek to find a causal relationship between two or more variables. Conversely, it may use qualitative research methods, which involves collecting non-numerical data to analyze concepts, opinions, or experiences.
Key parts of an empirical article:
A review of the published resources related to a specific issue, area of research, or specific theory. It provides a summary, description, and critical evaluation of each resource.
A literature review:
A Lit. Review provides background and context; it shows how your research will contribute to the field.
There are generally five parts to a literature review:
A literature review should:
A lit. review's purpose is to offer an overview of the significant works published on a topic. It can be written as an introduction to a study in order to:
It could be a separate work (a research article on its own) that:
Some limitations of a literature review include:
Non-Empirical Research articles focus more on theories, methods and their implications for research. Non-Empirical Research can include comprehensive reviews and articles that focus on methodology. They rely on empirical research literature as well but does not need to be essentially data-driven.