Quantitative research is the collection and analysis of numerical data, usually with established variables or operational definitions.
It is usually undertaken in order to test a hypothesis, measure a causal relationship, extrapolate from samples to a larger population, and more (or all!).
Data is often collected through surveys that translate concepts into measures, or experiments where a controllable variable is manipulated in order to measure impact.
You can use Discovery's Advanced Search to try to limit your results to quantitative studies.
There are a handful of ways of doing this.
You can use the Subject Terms filter to search for terms like "Quantitative," "T-test (Statistics)," and "Descriptive Statistics."
A search using this method may look like this:
Not all articles have the type of research indicated in the subject terms. However, some articles reveal the type of research directly in the title. Search for Quantitative in the Title, as in the example below:
In some cases, you may want to remove certain types of research from your results. For example, searching for quantitative research using method 1 (Subject Terms) may also capture mixed methods studies, meta-analyses, and systematic reviews. You can remove these by using the "NOT" operator, like so:
APA PsycArticles looks similar to Discovery's Advanced Search, but you will find more options for limiting by methodolgy.
In this section, there are a number of options for quantitative literature:
You can select more than one of these options you would like to include in your query.
It is important to remember that this does not guarantee that the results are all pure quantitative studies - many of the studies captured in your results may be mixed methods, for example.
The current JARS–Quant guidelines, released in 2018, expand and revise the types of research methodologies covered in the original JARS, which were published in 2008.
JARS–Quant includes guidelines for manuscripts that report
In addition, JARS–Quant now divides hypotheses, analyses, and conclusions into primary, secondary, and exploratory groups. This should enhance the readability and replicability of the research.
Providing the information specified in the JARS–Quant guidelines should become routine and minimally burdensome, thereby increasing the transparency of reporting in psychological research.
