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Using Web of Science

Web of Science is a rich collection of citation indexes that presents the citation connections between scholarly research articles found in the most globally significant journals, books, as well as proceedings in the sciences, social sciences, and arts & humanities.

It provides a common search language, navigation environment, and data structure that allows you to search broadly across disparate resources and use the citation connections inherent to the index to navigate to relevant research results and measure impact.

When you use Web of Science, you follow what is often referred to as a citation trail; it allows you to explore a topic and collect material by following a chain of articles that cite each other. This feature enhances serendipitous discovery and allows you to see the academic context of your sources and the scholarly conversation that is produced.

Web of Science is an interdisciplinary database that includes journal articles and other resources in the life sciences, physical sciences, social sciences, arts & humanities, and health sciences. The wide coverage makes it an important and powerful tool for searching citation trails because it may include titles not available through the library catalogue or other databases.

Quick Reference Guide (pdf)
Web of Science Essentials (1:30 hr)
Self-guided course covers everything from the fundamental principles to workflow functionality to enhance your research process.

What is an Empirical Study?

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:

Abstract - Provides a brief overview of the research.
Introduction - The introduction provides a review of previous research on the topic and states the hypothesis.
Methods - The methods area describes how the research was conducted, identifies the design of the study, the participants, and any measurements that were taken during the study.
Results - The results section describes the outcome of the study.
Discussion (or conclusion) - The discussion section addresses the researchers' interpretations of their study and any future implications from their findings.
References - A list of works that were cited in the study.

Anatomy of an Empirical Article
	What you'll find there	How it can help you
Abstract	Brief overview of research question, methods, results and discussion	Determine if article might be relevant to you before accessing the full text Find additional keywords for searching for similar articles
Introduction	Research question Background on topic (history, importance)	Gain background knowledge for new topics Find additional keywords for searching for similar articles
Methods	Steps of the study Type of study Lots of technical terminology Statistical tests and models used	Evaluate study quality and bias
Results	Raw data Figures and tables Lots of technical terminology	Figures and tables are helpful for understanding the results of the study
Discussion	Narrative that connects the dots from data to author conclusions Meaning of the study results Study strengths and limitations Areas for future research	Understand the study and how the results relate to the existing evidence
References	List of sources the author cited in the article	Possible additional sources for your research
Appendix	More detailed description of methods Definitions Additional figures, tables and references	Evaluate study quality and bias Figures and tables are helpful for understanding the results of the study

Literature Review

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:

Synthesizes and places into context the research and scholarly literature relevant to the topic.
Maps the different approaches to a given question and reveals patterns.
Forms the foundation for subsequent research.
Justifies the significance of the new investigation.
Contains the most pertinent studies and points to important past and current research and practices.

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:

Abstract
Introduction
Body
Conclusion
Bibliography

A literature review should:

Provide a comprehensive and updated review of the literature
Explain why this review has taken place
Articulate a position or hypothesis
Acknowledge and account for conflicting and corroborating points of view

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:

Demonstrate how a study fills a gap in research
Compare a study with other research that's been done

It could be a separate work (a research article on its own) that:

Organizes or describes a topic
Describes variables within a particular issue/problem

Some limitations of a literature review include:

It's a snapshot in time. Unlike other reviews, this one has beginning, a middle and an end. Future developments could make your work less relevant.
It may be too focused. Some niche studies may miss the bigger picture.
It can be difficult to be comprehensive. There is no way to ensure that all the literature on a topic was considered.
It is easy to be biased if you stick to top tier journals. There may be other places where people are publishing exemplary research. Look to open access publications and conferences to reflect a more inclusive collection. Also, make sure to include opposing views (and not just supporting evidence).

Write a Literature Review (UCSC)

Literature Review (Purdue)

Overview: Lit Reviews (UNC)

Review of Literature (UW-Madison)

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.