In the world of research, there are two general approaches to gathering and reporting information: qualitative and quantitative approaches. Qualitative research generates non-numerical data while quantitative research generates numerical data or information that can be converted into numbers.
UTA Libraries. Quantitative and Qualitative Research: Distinguishing Article Type. Last Updated: Aug 21, 2018 2:45 PM URL: https://libguides.uta.edu/researchtype
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, the article is secondary research (typically a review).
b) If it does have Method and Results sections, continue to step 2.
2. In the Method section, does it talk about a literature search strategy?
EXAMPLE ABSTRACT
a) If you answered yes, it is a systematic review or meta-analysis.
b) If you answered no, and that section describes a research study
(research participants, an intervention, etc.),
it is original research. Continue to step 3 to determine its type.
STEP 3: Now, let's determine what type of original research this is.
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 you answered yes, it’s a qualitative study.
b) If you answered no, see 3b.
3b. In the Method section, does the study describe the use of already-existing data (for example, reviewing patient admissions from the past 3 months)?
a) If you answered yes, it’s a retrospective study.
b) If you answered no, see 3c.
3c. In the Method or Results sections/areas, does it mention using quantitative analyses or statistical tests (e.g., ANOVA, t-test, p values)?
EXAMPLE ARTICLE EXCERPT
a) If you answered yes, it’s a quantitative study.
b) If you answered no, it’s qualitative.
BONUS. Are 3a AND 3c both true? In other words, does the study use BOTH quantitative and qualitative methods?
If so, it's a mixed methods study.
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