Empirical & Non-Empirical Research

What Distinguishes Non-Empirical Research from Empirical Research?

The collection and analysis of evidence to test a proposition is one of the hallmarks of empirical research.

Non-empirical research articles focus more on theories, methods, well-supported opinions, and their implications for research. Non-empirical research includes comprehensive review or analysis of journal literature or articles that focus on methodology. It may rely on or analyze empirical research literature but does not need to be essentially data- or evidence-driven as empirical research is.

Are Empirical Articles also Peer-Reviewed?

The question of whether empirical research is always peer-reviewed confuses apples and oranges, namely, peer-reviewed articles publications and common research methodologies.

• Peer-reviewed, scholarly, or academic articles are written by scholars for publication in academic journals.
• Peer-reviewed journals are edited by teams of scholars who approve and endorse what is published in their journals.
• Empirical and non-empirical research are methodologies used in research. An academic journal may publish articles reflecting both types of methodologies

Common Types of Articles That Are Not Empirical

Knowing how to quickly identify some common types of non-empirical research articles in peer-reviewed journals can help speed up your search. Here are some brief definitions and examples.

• Theoretical articles
  • Peer-reviewed articles that systematically discuss and propose abstract concepts and methods for a field without primary data collection.
  • Example: Grosser, K. & Moon, J. (2019). CSR and feminist organization studies: Towards an integrated theorization for the analysis of gender issues.
• Literature reviews and meta-analysis articles
  • Peer-reviewed articles that systematically describe, summarize, and often categorize and evaluate previous research on a topic without collecting new data.
  • Example: Heuer, S. & Willer, R. (2020). How is quality of life assessed in people with dementia? A systematic literature review and a primer for speech-language pathologists.
  • Note: empirical research articles and doctoral dissertations will have a literature review section, which exists to give context to the empirical research proposed or conducted. In a literature review article, the literature review is the focus.
  • While literature reviews or meta-analyses are not empirical, they are often a great source of information on previous empirical research on a topic, with citations to find that research.
• Editorials, opinion & commentary, and letters
  • Non-peer-reviewed articles where the authors discuss their thoughts on a particular topic without data collection and a systematic method. There are a few differences between these types of articles.
  • Editorials
    • Written by the editors or guest editors of the journal.
    • Example: Naples, N. A., Mauldin, L., & Dillaway, H. (2018). From the guest editors: Gender, disability, and intersectionality.
  • Opinion & commentary
    • Written by guest authors. The journal may have a non-peer-reviewed process for authors to submit these articles, and the editors of the journal may invite authors to write opinion articles.
    • Example: García, J. J.-L., & Sharif, M. Z. (2015). Black lives matter: A commentary on racism and public health.
  • Letters
    • Written by a journal's readers, often in response to an article previously published in the journal.
    • Example: Nathan, M. (2013). Letters: Perceived discrimination and racial/ethnic disparities in youth problem behaviors.
• Reviews
  • Non-peer-reviewed articles that describe and evaluate books, products, services, and other things the audience of the journal would be interested in.
  • Example: Robinson, R. & Green, J. M. (2020). Book review: Microaggressions and traumatic stress: Theory, research, and clinical treatment.

Based on an original created by the University of Memphis libraries.