Does this article qualify as an original empirical research article?

Ok, just figured out that it won’t let me link to within the site. This is the article.

Breastfeeding and later cognitive and academic outcomes.

Horwood LJ, Fergusson DM.

Christchurch Health and Development Study, Christchurch School of Medicine, Christchurch, New Zealand.

OBJECTIVE: This study examines the associations between duration of breastfeeding and childhood cognitive ability and academic achievement over the period from 8 to 18 years using data collected during the course of an 18-year longitudinal study of a birth cohort of >1000 New Zealand children. METHOD: During the period from birth to age 1 year, information was collected on maternal breastfeeding practices. Over the period from 8 to 18 years, sample members were assessed on a range of measures of cognitive and academic outcomes including measures of child intelligence quotient; teacher ratings of school performance; standardized tests of reading comprehension, mathematics, and scholastic ability; pass rates in school leaving examinations; and leaving school without qualifications. RESULTS: Increasing duration of breastfeeding was associated with consistent and statistically significant increases in 1) intelligence quotient assessed at ages 8 and 9 years; 2) reading comprehension, mathematical ability, and scholastic ability assessed during the period from 10 to 13 years; 3) teacher ratings of reading and mathematics assessed at 8 and 12 years; and 4) higher levels of attainment in school leaving examinations. Children who were breastfed for >/=8 months had mean test scores that were between 0. 35 and 0.59 SD units higher than children who were bottle-fed. Mothers who elected to breastfeed tended to be older; better educated; from upper socioeconomic status families; were in a two-parent family; did not smoke during pregnancy; and experienced above average income and living standards. Additionally, rates of breastfeeding increased with increasing birth weight, and first-born children were more likely to be breastfed. Regression adjustment for maternal and other factors associated with breastfeeding reduced the associations between breastfeeding and cognitive or educational outcomes. Nonetheless, in 10 of the 12 models, fitted duration of breastfeeding remained a significant predictor of later cognitive or educational outcomes. After adjustment for confounding factors, children who were breastfed for >/=8 months had mean test scores that were between 0.11 and 0.30 SD units higher than those not breastfed. CONCLUSIONS: It is concluded that breastfeeding is associated with small but detectable increases in child cognitive ability and educational achievement. These effects are 1) pervasive, being reflected in a range of measures including standardized tests, teacher ratings, and academic outcomes in high school; and 2) relatively long-lived, extending throughout childhood into young adulthood.

PMID: 9417173 [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE]

Publication Types, MeSH Terms
Publication Types:

* Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov’t

Empirical (from Wikipedia);
This article is about the concept in science. For other uses, see Empirical (disambiguation).

“The word empirical denotes information gained by means of observation, experience, or experiment.
A central concept in science and the scientific method is that all evidence must be empirical, or empirically based, that is, dependent on evidence or consequences that are observable by the senses. It is usually differentiated from the philosophic usage of empiricism by the use of the adjective “empirical” or the adverb “empirically.” “Empirical” refers to the use of working hypotheses that are testable using observation or experiment. In this sense of the word, scientific statements are subject to and derived from our experiences or observations. Empirical data are data that are produced by experiment or observation.”

The standard positivist view of empirically acquired information has been that observation, experience, and experiment serve as neutral arbiters between competing theories. However, since the 1960s, Thomas Kuhn has promoted the concept that these methods are influenced by prior beliefs and experiences. Consequently it cannot be expected that two scientists when observing, experiencing, or experimenting on the same event will make the same theory-neutral observations. The role of observation as a theory-neutral arbiter may not be possible. Theory-dependence of observation means that, even if there were agreed methods of inference and interpretation, scientists may still disagree on the nature of empirical data.”

It’s the same thing as the scientific method.

(O.K. – just so’s you know, it’s double time for “Ask a Librarian” on Sunday.)

An empirical article means in this case that you are looking for a report of a study that has been done. From PubMed as long as it has been published in a journal, you can assume that it is a scholarly journal.

Here’s what you do:
Go to Pub Med.

Click on Full Text Available.

Put in your search term on top in the dialogue box.

Go to Limits.

Click on Research/Review and Corrected/Retracted

You should get a list of full-text articles on your topic. To make sure it is an emprical article, i.e., a report of a study, look ait it and you will see sections titled “Methods” and “Results,” etc. Double-check that the article was published in a journal and you’re good to go.

Check back if you need further help.

Oh My God! Thank you so much. If I fail this paper, I fail the class. thank you thank you thank you.

De nada.

Don’t forget to cite it properly, and in the style your professor requires.

@pdworkin what are you, Mr. APA Style?

I am Captain Helpy.