Guide description plus Ask Us button
This guide will help you distinguish between the following study types:
- Secondary Articles/Review
- Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
- Primary Articles
- Quantitative
- Qualitative
Determining Article Type
NOTE: Check to see if the study type is at the top or in the title.
If so, skip to questions 3a & 3b.
1. Does it have Method and Results sections?
EXAMPLE ABSTRACT
a) If not, it is secondary research (typically a review).
b) If so, continue to step 2.
2. In the Method section, does it talk about a search strategy?
EXAMPLE ABSTRACT
a) If so, it is a systematic review or meta-analysis.
b) If not, it is original research. Continue to step 3 to determine its type.
3a. In the Method section, is the study described as an interview, observation, or questionnaire? Does the study involve looking into self-reported beliefs, thoughts, etc.?
a) If so, it’s a qualitative study.
b) If not, see 3b.
3b. In the Method or Results sections/areas, does it mention using quantitative analyses (e.g., ANOVA, t-test)?
EXAMPLE ARTICLE EXCERPT
a) If so, it’s a quantitative study.
b) If not, it’s qualitative.
3c. Are 3a AND 3b true? Does the study use BOTH types of search (Quantitative and Qualitative)?
If so, it's a Mixed Methods study.
Gratefully borrowed from http://libguides.uta.edu/researchtype/evaluating