Empirical Research in Final Papers with Examples

So far you've only written essays, exams, or smaller papers, and now you're facing your first empirical work? Perhaps even the most important challenge of your studies: writing a bachelor's or master's thesis with an empirical component? And yet you're not quite sure how to even begin with your final paper…

Does that sound familiar? Don't worry, that's not unusual at all! Often empirical research is only taught superficially during your studies. This is why many students need to teach themselves this important academic skill on their own.

 

In the following section, we reveal what empirical research actually means and which fundamental research methods you can use in your final paper.

When is research considered empirical?

 

“Empiricism is the scientific testing of theoretical statements in practice.” (Hunziker 2013: 23)

 

In most academic papers, existing theories and concepts (from literature) are first considered as the starting point for your own research. Using empirical data collection methods, these theoretical considerations can be tested in reality. This makes the study empirical (= based on experience) and the tested theory potentially empirically sound.

Especially in the natural sciences (biology, chemistry, physics, etc.) as well as social sciences (sociology, psychology, political science, etc.), empiricism is an essential part of scientific practice. We will go into scientific methods in more detail later; for example, various laboratory tests in biology or surveys in empirical social research fall into this category.

Often, research questions relevant to society are at the center of an empirical paper:

• What influence does product placement in YouTube videos have on consumer behavior?
• Which teaching method is best suited for optimal knowledge transfer among students?
• How do chronic pain or health concerns affect personal life satisfaction?
• How would you vote if the election were next Sunday?

In the course of such an investigation, you will collect and evaluate systematic empirical data in order to subsequently draw conclusions about your personal research question.

 

How do you write an empirical final paper?

Although there is no universally valid formula for how empirical research should look, we can examine a scholarly paper as a concrete example:

Kalter, Frank/Nadia Granato (2018). “Migration and Ethnic Inequality in the Labor Market.” Labor Market Sociology: Problems, Theories, Empirical Findings. 3rd Edition. Ed. Martin Abraham/Thomas Hinz. Springer: Wiesbaden. pp. 355-387. > To the Study

The authors of this study address the question, among other things: How can the low labor market integration of migrants be explained? In simple terms, the researchers first present the main theoretical arguments on this topic and then discuss the empirical results and datasets from various surveys to test their initially formulated hypothesis.

In an empirical paper, you basically always develop one or more assumptions, formulate them as a hypothesis, and then test them using empirical methods such as surveys, observations, or content analysis.

Advantages: Empirical research is excellent for a bachelor's or master's thesis because you can develop a practice-oriented project in which you achieve independent scientific results.

Disadvantages: Empirical research is relatively time-consuming and often dependent on subjects. Good planning of your research is therefore essential–but with our guide, that should not be a problem!

Advantages and disadvantages of an empirical final paper:

 

Introduction:
Procedure in empirical research

In the course of your empirical bachelor's thesis, you will typically follow seven fundamental work steps (based on Raithel 2008: 27-32; see also Beller 2016: 19-22), although the emphasis on individual sections will vary depending on the topic:

1. Research objective, problem formulation, research question:
   What is your goal with your paper? What specific research question should be investigated and what conditions (timeline, existing requirements, etc.) apply to your paper?
   
   The basis for the questions is often existing theories that you find in the literature.
    
2. Theory and hypothesis formation:
   How can you formulate your research question as a logical scientifically testable statement (= hypothesis)?
    
3. Conceptualization phase:
   How will you proceed concretely in your investigation? With which empirical method should the data be collected (e.g., standardized survey with a questionnaire)? Which variables are relevant for your research question? How many and which people (= sample) do you want to include in your investigation?
    
4. Preparation for data collection and data collection:
   What do you need to pay attention to in order to ensure smooth execution of the investigation (scheduling, interview training, obtaining consent from subjects)? Once these matters are clarified, you conduct the data collection (e.g., send survey to participants).
    
5. Data preparation:
   How do you want to record the collected data? Should your data collection be structured in a specific way before evaluation? Do you need special analysis software (e.g., SPSS)?
    
6. Data analysis:
   With which method do you want to analyze your data? Do you need to conduct hypothesis and significance tests?
    
7. Interpretation and dissemination (= documentation in writing):
   How can your results be interpreted and written down? Can they serve as the basis for further research or practical application?

The conception, choice of methods, and execution of your empirical research always depend on what problem you want to investigate and with what means your question can be best narrowed down.

In the article on the empirical research process, we go into detail on each of these work steps.

 

Source: Raithel, Jürgen (2008). Quantitative Research. A Practice Course. 2nd Edition. VS Publishing for Social Sciences: Wiesbaden. > To the Book

Further Reading Recommendation: Beller, Sieghard. (2016). Learn Empirical Research. Concepts, Methods, Case Studies, Tips. 2nd Edition. Huber Publishing: Bern. > To the Book

Quick Overview:
Empirical Research Methods

Once you've established a hypothesis, choosing a qualitative or quantitative research method is the next most important decision:

In quantitative research, a large number of cases are examined using, for example, standardized surveys, counts, and experiments, and then summarized (descriptive statistics) or used to draw conclusions about cases not examined (inferential statistics).

With this method, numbers can provide a broad insight into a particular phenomenon, as in the following examples:

• If men over 50 years of age smoke more than 10 cigarettes a day, then the probability of lung cancer increases.
• The more money federal states invest in education, the higher the number of school graduates with a higher level of education.

In qualitative research, by contrast, an attempt is made to depict a single case in its entirety through, for example, observations or qualitative content analysis. This method is used for complex relationships when you want to gain deep insights into a research subject:

• How do students envision their professional future after the Corona pandemic?
• What content do children and adolescents aged 2 to 14 consume on their smartphone or tablet?

 

Further Reading

Beller, Sieghard (2016). Learn Empirical Research. Concepts, Methods, Case Studies, Tips. 2nd Edition. Huber Publishing: Bern. > To the Book

Döring, Nicola / Bortz, Jürgen (2016). Research Methods and Evaluation in Social and Human Sciences. 5th Edition, Springer VS: Wiesbaden. > To the Book

Hunziker, Alexander W. (2013). Fun with Academic Writing. How to Write a Good Semester, Bachelor's, and Master's Thesis. 5th Edition. SKV: Zurich. > To the Book

Raithel, Jürgen (2008). Quantitative Research. A Practice Course. 2nd Edition. VS Publishing for Social Sciences: Wiesbaden. > To the Book