PSC/SOC 340/JS 504: Social Science Research Methods

You can find quantitative articles by searching with methodology terms as keywords. To find a quantitative study, possible keywords include the type of study, data analysis type, or terminology used to describe the results.

adapted from:  Walden University. Q. How do I find a quantitative article? http://academicanswers.waldenu.edu/faq/72857

You can use our library's databases to search for these kinds of research studies:
 

• Try adding  "qualitative" or "quantitative" to your keywords when you're searching.  For example:
  • nutrition AND qualitative
  • nutrition AND quantitative

• If you have a particular research methodology in mind (e.g. survey, experiment, case study, etc.) you can include keywords to describe it in your search.  For example:
  • dieting AND survey 
  • marijuana AND controlled trial

• In some databases, you can specify the type of study you would like to search for using advanced search options.  
  • In ProQuest's PsycARTICLES, for example, there is a "Methodology" box (scroll down a little to see it).  Qualitative and quantitative are both options there, among many others.  

• Limiting your search to "scholarly" or "peer-reviewed" journals will also help.

adapted from: Richard G. Trefry Library. Q. How can I find a qualitative or quantitative research article?  apus.libanswers.com/faq/2257

Connecting the alternative terms with OR tells the database to search for any of these terms.

Connecting the alternative terms with AND tells the database to search for ALL those terms.

Using the asterisk (*) truncates the search.  The database will search for the part of the word you typed before the asterisk, along with any possible endings of the word. Using statistic* tells the database to search for statistics, statistical, etc.

Some methodologies are rarely used for certain research topics. You may need to broaden your search topic to find a study that uses your methodology.

Many articles and dissertations will include methodology terms in the abstract or title. To make sure that you have an example of your methodology, be sure to look at the methodology section in the full text. This will provide detailed information about the methodology used.

adapted from:  Walden University. Q. How do I find a quantitative article? http://academicanswers.waldenu.edu/faq/72857