Writing 101 (Gautreau)

Empirical articles are based on an experiment or study.  The authors will report the purpose of the study, the research methodology, and results. This is a familiar structure for empirical articles (IMRAD):

• introduction
• methods
• results
• discussion

In describing the purpose of their study, authors will present a mini literature review to discuss how previous research has led up to their original research project.

Also called:

• primary research article/source
• primary literature article
• original research article

Example: The prevalence of sleep disorders in college students: Impact on academic performance

In PsycINFO, use the Methodology limiter to narrow to empirical study (original research).

See explanations of each Methodology available in PsycINFO.