When conducting scientific research, various methods are used. An empirical study is a separate group of methods that includes indirect or direct collection of data obtained in the course of studying a phenomenon. Other methods include organizational, interpretive, and data processing methods. It should also be noted that scientific empirical research is important to distinguish from theoretical.
Differences between Empirical and Theoretical Research
Literally “empirical” means “empirically obtained”, that is, empirical research is the collection of specific data obtained during the study of an object. Thus, in an empirical study there is a direct contact of the researcher with the studied object. Theoretical research takes place, roughly speaking, on a mental level. Empirical knowledge mainly uses experiment and observation of real objects (direct influence or observation of the phenomena under study) as the main research methods. An empirical study is, first of all, the maximum exclusion of the impact of subjective components on the result of cognition. Theoretical knowledge in this regard is characterized by greater subjectivity, operating with ideal images and objects.
The structure of the empirical method of cognition
Empirical scientific research includes study methods (observation and experimentation); results obtained using these methods (actual data); various procedures for translating the results ("raw data") into laws, dependencies, facts. Thus, empirical research is not just an experiment; this is a complex cognitive process, during which scientific hypotheses are confirmed or refuted, new patterns are revealed, etc.
Empirical Stages
Empirical research, like any other method of scientific knowledge, consists of several steps, each of which is important for obtaining objective data. We list the main stages of an empirical study. After the goal was set, the research objectives are formulated, a hypothesis is put forward, the researcher goes directly to the process of obtaining facts. This is the first stage of an empirical study, when the data of observation or experiment are recorded in the process. At this stage, the results obtained are strictly evaluated; the experimenter tries to make the data as objective as possible, clearing them of side effects.
At the second stage of the empirical study, the results obtained during the first stage are processed. At this stage, the results undergo primary processing in order to find various patterns and relationships. Here, the data are classified, assigned to various types, and the results obtained are described using special scientific terminology. Thus, an empirical study of a phenomenon or object is extremely informative. In the course of such a knowledge of reality, important patterns can be deduced, a certain classification can be made, and obvious connections between objects can be revealed.
