These guidelines can help you identify a research study and distinguish an article that presents the findings of a research study from other types of articles. You can typically read the abstract of an article and determine whether it is reporting on a research study.
Research studies are almost always published in peer-reviewed (scholarly) journals. The articles often contain headings similar to these: Literature Review, Method, Results, Discussion, and Conclusion.
Articles that review other studies without presenting new research results are not research studies. Examples of article types that are NOT research studies include: