Hello,

can someone please tell me if qualitative research is empirical? I am getting different meanings from the Internet and need to know the answer now.
Thanks

What are the differences between: qualitative/quantitative/empirical?
Is qualitative the opposite of quantitative, and still empirical, or is qualitative research not empirical?

Both qualitative and quantitative research can be empirical. Empiricism is the school of thought which states that knowledge must be gained from experience (experimentation). In my field (molecular biology) I rely on empirical research of both a qualitative and quantitative nature: qualitative - do these two proteins interact in vivo? Quantitative - by how much does over expression of this protein in vivo enhance virulence of the pathogen I'm working on compared to the control?