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Intervention Analysis Paper: Evidence-Based Social Work Practice

Is it empirical?

Empirical = based on observable evidence. An article is likely empirical IF:

It appears in a scholarly/peer-reviewed journal
The researchers gathered data
- Look in: Abstract, Method(ology) section
- Can be quantitative (most surveys) and/or qualitative (interviews, focus groups)
Authors report on an experiment/observation
It has these normal sections (may vary):
- Introduction/Literature Review
- Methodology
- Results
- Discussion/Conclusion
- References

NOT empirical:
- Literature review, even if in scholarly journal (authors only use published sources)
  - Use these to point you to other sources & get topic background!
  - Check with your professor if these are acceptable for the intervention analysis paper.
- Theoretical article, even if in scholarly journal
- Essay, even if in scholarly journal

Gray area (check with your professor):
- Scholarly/peer-reviewed article in which authors analyze data someone else collected ("secondary data analysis")
- Case studies reporting on one or a few particular clients/organizations