Research Basics: Identifying Research Studies

Research studies are typically published in scholarly (or academic) journal articles. 

• Original Research Study

  • Also called Primary Research
  • Also called Empirical Research

• Research Review

  • Also called Literature Review
  • Systematic Review is a particular type of Research Review

• Meta-Analysis

  • Also called Research Analysis

Original Research

• Researchers in a field of study propose a hypothesis and use defined methods to provide evidence that either supports or does not support the hypothesis. 

  • Sciences and social sciences
    • Researchers design and conduct an experiment in order to gather evidence
  • Humanities
    • Researchers use texts, historical events, theories, and/or artifacts to provide new understandings of a topic or work
• Also called Primary or Empirical Research
• Often peer-reviewed

Research Review

• Researchers in a field of study provide a summary and synthesis of previous research on a topic or question to provide a rationale for additional exploration.    
• Sometimes called a Literature Review
  • Can be a standalone article
  • Can also be a section within an original research article, typically the Introduction section
• Systematic review (often used in medical fields) uses a comprehensive review of the research to answer a particular research question
  • Often combined with Meta-Analysis
• May be peer-reviewed

Meta-Analysis

• Researchers in a field of study conduct quantitative statistical analysis on the data from two or more original research studies which have similar designs or outcomes.  
  • Not considered Original Research
  • Typically uses the results of a Systematic Review
  • Researchers use the statistical analysis to determine reliability of data. 
• Also called Research Analysis
• Due to its quantitative nature, not typically a research strategy for the Humanities
• May be peer-reviewed

A peer-reviewed article is:

• A scholarly article written by experts in a particular field of study  
• Read and critiqued by other experts before publication in a scholarly journal
• An article containing research checked for accuracy and validity before publication  
• Not published if the peer-reviewers do not accept the research methodology or the findings

Using peer-reviewed research is essential to understanding the most valid research in a field of study.