Introduction: intimate partner violence against women is a public health problem. Currently, there is a significant number of research on this problem. Objective: describe methodological aspects, typologies and variables studied in empirical research on intimate partner violence against women. Method: a systematic review was carried out, with a search in WOS, Scopus and SciELo for publications between 2015 and 2019. Of 762 articles identified, 178 met the inclusion criteria. Results: The most used design was the cross-sectional one, with quantitative correlational analysis (73 %); with samples between 100 and 500 participants (31 %) and mainly developed in North America (43 %). Regarding the variables, individual characteristics of the woman, physical and mental consequences of IPV, characteristics of the couple’s relationship and social variables that may affect IPV are studied. IPV was characterized as Psychological, physical and sexual, with a new typology called coercive control. Conclusions: the use of cross-sectional designs is understandable due to the ethical implications required for this population; The variables included include a wide spectrum of both possible risk factors and consequences of violence. Coercive control constitutes a new comprehensive aspect at IPV.