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Nursing

Library Resources for nursing, medicine, and allied health

Finding Qualitative and Quantitative Articles in UWG Databases

Most Ingram Library Databases do not distinguish between qualitative and quantitative articles.  Some databases like CINAHL do offer this function under the Advanced Search features, but it can be overly limiting.  CINAHL, for example, only allows you to limit to qualitative articles, not quantitative articles.

Instead, we suggest searching for your topic in the first line of the database's Advanced Search and common types of keywords associated with your specific type of article in the second line.  These are words that describe that type of study or methodology and are likely to be in the articles you need.

Try using the Advanced Search in one of our database.  Enter your topic in the first line, and the suggested keyword string in the second row.

Common Keywords in Quantitative Articles include:

quantitative or experimental or correlational or quasi-experimental or clinical trial or randomized control trial or validity or intervention or t-test or anova

Sample Quantitative Article Search in CINAHL

Add quantitative keywords to the second line to find articles

Common Keywords in Qualitative Articles include:

qualitative or experience or focus group or interview or case study or narrative or observation or "content analysis" or "discourse analysis"

Sample Qualitative Article Search in CINAHL

Enter qualitative search terms on the second line of an advanced search.

Note: You can use these techniques in other database's advanced searches.  For instance, MEDLINE, ERIC, Proquest Nursing, and ABI/INFORM all have Advanced Searches that will give you multiple lines.  You can also add more lines to narrow your topic.  For instance, add a third line such as AND (therapy or treatment).

 

 

Alternative: Scroll Down on CINAHL's Advanced Search Page to choose only qualitative articles.

Choose Qualitative under Clinical Queries on CINAHL's Advanced Search options.

 

What are how qualitative and quantitative articles?

Scholarly articles are often characterized by the type of research they contain.  The research can include theoretical constructs, experiments, case studies, raw data, artifacts, statistics, interviews, excerpts, and other types of information.  Nursing articles, especially those reporting original research, can be categorized into quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods studies.  These are most easily discerned by the type of data being gathered.

Quantitative Articles Qualitative Articles

Data can be counted or analyzed numerically

Data lends itself to easy statistical analysis

Focus on precise measurements over descriptions

Often occurs with tight, pre-planned controls

Examples: Scientific experiment, double blind study, drug test, likert scales, 

Data cannot be easily counted

Data may need to be processed or categorized before statistical analysis

Focus on descriptions and qualities over a precise measurement

Often occurs in a natural or non-controlled environment

Examples: interviews, case studies, open ended surveys, historical research, focus group, observation

Mixed Methods

Study that combines both qualitative and quantitative data

Generally includes and correlates data from several types of research methodologies

Examples: study of freshman student demographics combined with focus groups from sample populations, survey of patients at a hospital with some likert scale questions and some open ended questions, drug study that looks at blood chemistry and interviews with how patients report feeling afterward