What is an original research or single study article, and how do I find it in the library databases?
Original research, also known as a single study, primary study or empirical study, is one that reports results of a scientific study rather than summarizing other articles. Basically, original research is where the researchers do the study and report their findings.
Find an Original Research Article in the Library
- Start your search from the Search Everything box on the library homepage.
- Enter your keywords, and select Search.
- Under the Filter Results section on the left-hand side of the search results, select Peer-Reviewed Journals and Articles, and change the Publication Date range to reflect your assignment requirements.
- Read the abstract of the article(s) to determine if it is original research. The abstract of the article usually contains subdivision headings where each of the key sections are summarized individually such as Literature Review or Background, Methods, Results, Conclusions and Discussion. The methodology section will tell you what they are doing in the study.
Note! There is no way to limit the results to only show original research articles in this search system. If you are having trouble identifying the type of study, please contact your professor.
For more information on types of research, see our Finding Types of Research guide.
Watch the Tutorial Video
Select the image below to watch a video on how to determine if an article is original research.
