Q. How can I find recent, scholarly quantitative or qualitative studies conducted in the United States or Canada on a specific topic?

• On the main library page, go to Browse Databases and choose EBSCO Quick Search. Under Searching at the top, Select ALL of the EBSCO databases.
• On the first few lines, use appropriate search terms for your topic, using Boolean terms for synonyms. For example, (collaborative learning OR cooperative learning OR team learning OR peer tutoring OR peer teaching OR group work in education)
• Limit your results: Once you have searched, choose “Peer-reviewed” and “Past 5 years” to get recent scholarly articles.
• To find studies: Articles about studies that have been conducted are also referred to as empirical articles. These studies generate original data and include a methodology section that outlines how the study was conducted. To find studies, put these terms on a line by themselves:

(study OR participants OR “n=*”)

Often, studies list the number of participants as (n=the number of participants), and by using an asterisk, it will search for any number listed.

Theoretical or philosophical articles, historical analyses, literature reviews, systematic reviews, instrument validation studies, and meta-analyses do not involve the collection of new data and are not considered empirical. These types of articles synthesize or discuss existing knowledge rather than generate it through firsthand research.

• There are two major types of research: quantitative and qualitative.
• To find qualitative studies, on a separate line, insert this search string:

(interviews OR qualitative OR focus groups OR coding OR phenomenological OR lived experiences OR ethnography OR case study) NOT (mixed methods OR quantitative)

• To find quantitative studies, on a separate line, insert this search string:

(quantitative OR experimental OR quasi-experimental OR hypothesis OR variables OR data OR analysis OR ANOVA OR MANOVA OR correlation* OR causal comparative OR instrument OR scale OR Likert OR survey) NOT (mixed methods OR qualitative)

• If a study talks about collecting both qualitative and quantitative data, it is a mixed-methods study.

• To find studies conducted in the United States or Canada, you will have to skim the results. The terms "United States" or "Canada" are not usually included in the abstract, so adding them to the search will usually significantly limit the results. A United States region, city, or state might be listed (rather than the entire US) if any location is listed at all. As you skim the results, skip over any from a foreign country or journals that have the word international in their title.

• For some topics, you might not find one type of research or the other. Most topics are best researched using one research type or another. Not all research topics are equally suited to both qualitative and quantitative methods. For example, when exploring the deeply personal experiences of first-generation college students navigating academic systems, there may be no pre-existing, reliable, and valid instruments to measure such nuanced and individual perceptions. In such cases, qualitative methods like interviews or focus groups are more appropriate, as they allow for rich, descriptive data that standardized surveys cannot capture. On the other hand, some topics are ideally suited for quantitative research because they involve variables that can be measured using established, validated instruments. For instance, examining the relationship between student motivation and academic achievement can be effectively studied using quantitative methods by employing reliable tools such as the Academic Motivation Scale (AMS) and standardized test scores. In this case, qualitative interviews might not capture the breadth of data needed to establish statistically significant patterns across large groups. The research question and the availability of appropriate measurement tools guide the choice of method. Qualitative research can often provide valuable insight into the reasons behind quantitative results. Thus, mixed methods studies are sometimes the best choice. However, for your own study, please note that some Liberty University departments do not permit mixed-methods studies.