Understand Types of Research Data
There are two types of data collected when conducting a research study: quantitative or qualitative.
- Quantitative data is numbers-based and measurable.
- Qualitative data is text-based and observational.
The video below will show you how to identify research studies that use these different types of data.
Below are some suggestions on how to find research articles that are collecting either quantitative or qualitative data in the library databases.
Note! Although the following search strategies below can help you find different study types, it is best practice to screen the sections of an article to determine if the study reports quantitative or qualitative data.
Find Quantitative Research
There are no filters to limit your search to quantitative research in the Search Everything box on the library homepage or in the individual databases on the Database A-Z page.
However, below are some terms to add to your search to help you find quantitative research.
- quantitative
- experiment
- statistical
- correlation
- significance
- T-test
- Chi square
- P value
- data
- Z-test
- validity
- variance
- variable
- pretest
- posttest
Example search:
diabetes AND (“blood sugar” OR glucose) AND monitor* AND (quantitative OR variance OR significance)
Review Quantitative Research Example
- Article - Continuous Glucose Monitoring Metrics and Birth Weight: Informing Management of Type 1 Diabetes Throughout PregnancyScott, E. M., Murphy, H. R., Kristensen, K. H., Feig, D. S., Kjölhede, K., Englund-Ögge, L., Berntorp, K. E., & Law, G. R. (2022). Continuous glucose monitoring metrics and birth weight: Informing management of type 1 diabetes throughout pregnancy. Diabetes Care, 45(8), 1724–1734. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc22-0078
Find Qualitative Research
Similar to searching for quantitative research, there are some keywords you can add to your searches to find qualitative research. These include:
- qualitative
- content analysis
- thematic analysis
- ethnography
- narrative
- focus group
- field study
- grounded theory
- case study
- observational
- perspective
- lived experience
- attitudes
- beliefs
- interview
- phenomenological
Example search:
diabetes AND (“blood sugar” OR glucose) AND monitor* AND (qualitative OR interview OR attitudes OR beliefs)
There are also filters in specific databases that allow you to limit your search results to qualitative articles only. Below are some databases that have this option.
CINAHL and Medline: Clinical Queries Filter
Qualitative
- Database - CINAHL with Full TextCINAHL with Full Text is the world’s largest database of nursing and allied health journals covering topics on nursing, biomedicine, alternative/complementary medicine, consumer health, and 17 allied health disciplines.
- Database - Medline Complete from EBSCOMedline Complete provides access to journals covering a wide range of topics in the biomedical sciences and medicine.
To find qualitative articles in CINAHL or Medline, follow the steps below.
- Select one of the database links above to open the Advanced Search page.
- Enter your keyword(s) into the search boxes.
- Move down to the Limit Your Results section. This is where you can add filters to your search to tell the database that you only want articles that fit specific criteria.
- Locate the Clinical Queries menu. This is a menu where you have several different choices for qualitative studies, including High Specificity, High Sensitivity, and Best Balance, as shown in the image below.
- High Sensitivity – is the broadest search and will include the most results.
- High Specificity – is the narrowest search and will include the most relevant results.
- Best Balance – will provide a balance between the two searches.
Review Qualitative Research Example
- Article - Flash glucose monitoring in young people with type 1 diabetes-a qualitative study of young people, parents and health professionals: 'It makes life much easier'.Beasant, L., Cullen, F., Thomas, E., Kandiyali, R., Shield, J. P. H., Mcgregor, D., West, N., & Ingram, J. (2023). Flash glucose monitoring in young people with type 1 diabetes-a qualitative study of young people, parents and health professionals: 'It makes life much easier'. BMJ open, 13(4), e070477. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2022-070477