What is an Empirical Research Paper?
An empirical research paper is based on an original hypothesis or research question to be answered through data gathering and analysis. Empirical research papers have a template that includes sections for an introduction (literature review), methodology (how the research was conducted), results (data and key findings), and discussion (interpretation of the data and implications for future research).
What is a Literature Review?
A literature review gathers and summarizes all of the scholarly research on or related to your research question. Articles for a literature review are usually gathered within a certain time period, for example, the last ten years. This helps define the context of your research, identify similarities in the research, and any holes that can be filled in the research.
What Kind of Sources Do I Need?
You will need to gather scholarly, peer reviewed articles. Try some of these databases, making sure you check-off the scholarly limit: