Okay, here is an example related to an empirical review, incorporating the information from your reference.
An empirical review synthesizes findings from multiple empirical studies. Think of an empirical study as original research where data is collected and analyzed (like surveys, experiments, observations). An empirical review pulls together the results of many such studies to find patterns, draw broader conclusions, and identify gaps in research on a specific topic.
An example of an empirical review would be a literature review examining the relationship between educational attainment and income levels.
Imagine numerous individual empirical studies have been conducted globally investigating this link. Each study might use different methods, look at different populations, or focus on specific job sectors.
Based on your reference, a classic example of empirical research that might be included in such a review is "studying if high education helps in obtaining better-paying jobs." The reference notes that if such a study finds "outcomes indicate that higher education does allow individuals to have high-salaried jobs, then it follows that people with less education tend to have lower-paying jobs."
An empirical review would not just conduct one such study, but would:
- Identify many different empirical studies (like the one described in your reference) that have investigated the link between education and job pay.
- Analyze and compare the methods, findings, and conclusions of these various studies.
- Synthesize the collective evidence to answer questions like:
- Is the relationship between education and income consistent across different countries or time periods?
- What specific fields of study are most strongly linked to high-paying jobs?
- Are there other factors (like experience, skills, or networking) that mediate or moderate this relationship?
Components Often Found in an Empirical Review
An effective empirical review typically includes:
- Introduction: Defining the research question or topic being reviewed.
- Methodology: Explaining how studies were searched for, selected, and analyzed.
- Results Synthesis: Presenting the combined findings from the included studies. This might involve summarizing key findings, identifying common themes, or using statistical methods (like meta-analysis) to pool data.
- Discussion: Interpreting the synthesized findings, discussing implications, noting limitations in the existing research, and suggesting future research directions.
Example Scenario
Let's say a researcher wants to understand the global impact of tertiary education on lifetime earnings. An empirical review would:
- Search databases for published empirical studies on education and income/earnings.
- Select relevant studies based on specific criteria (e.g., population age, study design, timeframe).
- Extract key data from each selected study (e.g., sample size, education levels measured, income metrics, main findings).
- Compare findings: Do most studies show a positive correlation? Are there regional differences? Do longitudinal studies show stronger effects than cross-sectional ones?
- Write a review article summarizing these findings, concluding, for example, that while most evidence suggests a strong positive link, the magnitude of this link varies significantly depending on country, field of study, and economic conditions.
This process of collecting, analyzing, and synthesizing findings from multiple empirical studies, like the one mentioned in your reference about education and jobs, is the essence of an empirical review.
| Type of Work | Focus | Example (related to reference) |
|---|---|---|
| Empirical Study | Conducting new research to collect data. | Conducting a survey on 1000 people to see if their education level correlates with their salary. |
| Empirical Review | Synthesizing findings from multiple empirical studies. | Reviewing the findings of 50 different surveys and studies on education levels and salaries. |
