Empirical vs. Review Articles
Know the difference between empirical and review articles.
Empirical article
An empirical (research) article reports methods and findings of an original research study conducted by the authors of the article.
Literature Review article
A review article or "literature review" discusses past research studies on a given topic.
Psychology Librarian
Jennifer Elder
she, her, hers
Contact:
Librarian for Development Studies, Education, Psychology, QTM, Sociology, & Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies
Emory University
Robert W. Woodruff Library
404-712-2833
Emory University
Robert W. Woodruff Library
404-712-2833
Suggested Databases for this Class
- APA PsycInfo (EBSCO) This link opens in a new windowIndexes and provides access to major peer-reviewed journals and scholarly literature in the behavioral sciences and mental health.
- Start your search with PsycINFO (see link to database, above) - then, try other databases if necessary
- Quick Reference Guide to PsycINFO (pdf)
- Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection This link opens in a new windowContains more than 470 full-text journals covering topics such as emotional and behavioral characteristics, psychiatry & psychology, mental processes, anthropology, and observational and experimental methods.
- Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts (ASSIA) This link opens in a new windowContents related to health and social care sourced from a variety of journals and countries from 1987 to the present.
- SocINDEX with Full Text This link opens in a new windowIndexes journals, books, book chapters, book reviews, dissertations and conference papers in sociology and related disciplines.
Additional Databases
The following databases cover disciplines outside of social psychology but which may be related to your topic. Include the term "psychology" as one of your search terms.
- ABI/Inform Complete (at ProQuest) This link opens in a new windowAccess business and management journals and trade magazines from U.S. and international sources. Includes full text journals, dissertations, working papers, and popular business and economics periodicals.
- Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new windowProvides indexing and abstracts for thousands of journals and other publications. Access broad ranging resources that include full-text journals, monographs, reports, conference proceedings, and video content from the Associate Press etc.
- Animal Behavior Abstracts This link opens in a new windowIndexes journals relevant to animal behavior. Subjects include neurophysiology, behavioral ecology, genetics, applied ethology, and more. Access summaries field and laboratory inquiries.
- ATLA Religion Database This link opens in a new windowIndexes journals, essays, and book reviews in the areas of religion and theology.
- ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center) [EBSCO] This link opens in a new windowAccess material from the Education Resources Information Center, sponsored by the Institute of Education Sciences of the U.S. Department of Education. Includes articles, reports, guides, papers, and more.
- GenderWatch This link opens in a new windowProvides publications that focus on the impact of gender across a broad spectrum of subject areas.
- NewsBank Access World News This link opens in a new windowCoverage includes domestic newspapers, international newspapers, news wires, transcripts, and broadcasts, including 16 Georgia newspapers.
- Political Science Complete This link opens in a new windowContains full text for over 450 journals, and indexing and abstracts for nearly 2,100 titles, (including top-ranked scholarly journals). This is the major index for political science.
- PubMed This link opens in a new windowProduced by the National Library of Medicine, this biomedical database includes over 30 million citations and dates back to 1946.
Why Use the PsycINFO Thesaurus?
Scholarly vs. Non-Scholarly Sources
Know the difference between scholarly and non-scholarly articles.
"Scholarly" journal = "Peer-Reviewed" journal = "Refereed" journal
When researching your topic, you may come across many different types of sources and articles. When evaluating these sources, it is important to think about:
- Who is the author?
- Who is the audience or why was this written?
- Where was this published?
- Is this relevant to your research?
- When was this written? Has it been updated?
- Are there any citations? Who do they cite?
| Scholarly | Popular |
| Written by experts, like academics, scientists, scholars, etc. | Written by generalists, such as journalists, bloggers, etc. |
| Written for specialists or students in the field. |
Written for the general population. |
| Written with scholarly or technical language. | Easy to read, or will define any specialized terms. |
| Will include a full bibliography of the sources that are cited. | No formal citations, or may not have any citations. |
| Published in an academic journal. | Published in a newspaper, magazine, or blog. |
| Are often peer-reviewed. | Are edited in-house or self-edited. |
 |
Helpful Links and Guides
Here are helpful links and guides to check out for more information on scholarly sources:
- This database contains data on different types of serials and can be used to determine whether a periodical is peer-reviewed or not: Ulrich's Periodicals Directory
- The UC Berkeley Library published this useful guide on evaluating resources, including the differences between scholarly and popular sources, as well as how to find primary sources: UC Berkeley's Evaluating Resources LibGuide
Google Scholar
Google Scholar searches specifically for scholarly literature, including peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, preprints, abstracts and technical reports from all broad areas of research.