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Answers
Types of articles
Key words and phrases
1 Research (empirical) articles
experiment, research, study, survey, data, 
quantitative or qualitative methods, statistics
2 Review articles
critical evaluation, overviews, bibliography, 
‘literature review’ in the title, abstract or article 
introduction
3 Theoretical articles
concepts, theoretical framework, model, 
perspectives
4 Editorials
literary style, opinion, ‘editorial’ in the title
Audioscript 
24
Librarian: Before selecting articles from academic journals it’s 
good to know something about the different types of articles 
you’ll encounter. Each has its own value, so the key is to 
recognise those which are most relevant to your needs. 
To start with, in research or empirical articles authors report 
the results of their own studies so these are considered primary 
sources. Look in the title, abstract or introduction for terms 
like ‘experiment’, ‘research’ or ‘study’. Research articles should 
clearly state that the authors conducted research, ran surveys, 
did experiments, collected data, etc. Terms like ‘quantitative’ or 
‘qualitative methods’ or ‘statistics’ are good clues. 
Research articles are different from review articles which 
are also scholarly but not empirical. A review is a critical 
evaluation of existing studies in this or that field. Review 
articles assess the state of the literature on a topic and suggest 
steps for future research. So review articles provide good 
overviews and the bibliography can lead you to empirical 
research on your topic. The phrase ‘literature review’ is 
usually featured prominently in the title, abstract or article 
introduction. 
You may also find theoretical articles whose purpose is to 
contribute to the theoretical foundations of specific fields of 
study. Look for terms like ‘concepts’, ‘theoretical framework’, 
‘model’ or ‘perspectives’. 
Finally, editorials appear quite often in academic journals. 
These are not considered academic but they can help you find 
more sources for your research. They are usually written in a 
literary style. They should give an opinion but without being 
prescriptive. You may find the word ‘editorial’ in the title of the 
article.