Research Vocabulary Words
1. Abstract - A brief summary of a research article, thesis, review, or other study detailing the main
points and conclusions.
2. Analysis - The process of breaking a complex topic into smaller parts to gain a better
understanding of it.
3. Anecdotal Evidence - Non-scientific observations or studies which do not provide proof but may
assist research efforts.
4. Annotation - A note added by way of explanation or commentary.
5. Anomaly - Something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected.
6. APA - American Psychological Association; a citation style commonly used in the social sciences.
7. Appendix - A section at the end of a paper containing additional data.
8. Assumption - A thing that is accepted as true or as certain to happen, without proof.
9. Bias - Prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually
in a way considered to be unfair.
10. Bibliography - A list of the books referred to in a scholarly work.
11. Binary - Relating to, composed of, or involving two things.
12. Case Study - An analysis of a particular instance or event as a means of illustrating a thesis or
principle.
13. Causal Relationship - A relationship in which one event causes another.
14. Citation - A reference to a published or unpublished source.
15. Cohort - A group of people banded together or treated as a group.
16. Collaboration - The action of working with someone to produce something.
17. Conceptual Framework - A system of concepts, assumptions, expectations, beliefs, and theories
that supports and informs research.
18. Conclusion - The end or finish of an event, process, or text.
19. Confidentiality - Ensuring that information is accessible only to those authorized to have access.
20. Confounding Variable - An outside influence that changes the effect of a dependent and
independent variable.
21. Conjecture - An opinion or conclusion formed on the basis of incomplete information.
22. Construct - An idea or theory containing various conceptual elements.
23. Content Analysis - A research tool used to determine the presence of certain words or concepts
within texts.
24. Control Group - The group in an experiment that does not receive the treatment.
25. Correlation - A mutual relationship or connection between two or more things.
26. Credibility - The quality of being trusted and believed in.
27. Cross-sectional Study - A study that looks at data from a population at one specific point in time.
28. Data - Facts and statistics collected together for reference or analysis.
29. Database - A structured set of data held in a computer.
30. Deductive Reasoning - The process of reasoning from one or more statements to reach a
logically certain conclusion.
31. Dependent Variable - The variable that is being measured in an experiment.
32. Descriptive Research - Research that describes characteristics of a phenomenon or group of
interest.
33. Dissemination - The act of spreading something, especially information, widely.
34. Dissertation - A long essay on a particular subject, especially one written for a university degree
or diploma.
35. Double-blind Study - A study in which neither the participants nor the researchers know which
participants belong to the control group.
36. Empirical - Based on, concerned with, or verifiable by observation or experience rather than
theory or pure logic.
37. Ethics - Moral principles that govern a person's behavior or the conducting of an activity.
38. Ethnography - The scientific description of the customs of individual peoples and cultures.
39. Evaluation - The making of a judgment about the amount, number, or value of something.
40. Evidence - The available body of facts or information indicating whether a belief or proposition is
true or valid.
41. Experiment - A scientific procedure undertaken to make a discovery, test a hypothesis, or
demonstrate a known fact.
42. External Validity - The extent to which the results of a study can be generalized to other
situations and to other people.
43. Fieldwork - Practical work conducted by a researcher in the natural environment, rather than in
a laboratory or office.
44. Focus Group - A demographically diverse group of people assembled to participate in a guided
discussion about a particular product before it is launched.
45. Framework - A basic structure underlying a system, concept, or text.
46. Generalizability - The extent to which findings from one context can be applied to other
contexts.
47. Hypothesis - A supposition or proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a
starting point for further investigation.
48. Inductive Reasoning - Making broad generalizations from specific observations.
49. Inferential Statistics - Procedures used to draw conclusions about larger populations from small
samples of data.
50. Informed Consent - Permission granted in the knowledge of the possible consequences.
51. Instrument - A tool or device used for a particular purpose.
52. Internal Validity - The extent to which a study establishes a trustworthy cause-and-effect
relationship between a treatment and an outcome.
53. Interpretation - The action of explaining the meaning of something.
54. Interview - A meeting of people face to face, especially for consultation.
55. Jargon - Special words or expressions used by a profession or group that are difficult for others to
understand.
56. Journal - A daily record of news and events of a personal nature; a diary.
57. Justification - The action of showing something to be right or reasonable.
58. Key Informant - A person who provides crucial information during a study due to their specific
knowledge or position.
59. Literature Review - A thorough and up-to-date overview of current research on a particular
topic.
60. Longitudinal Study - A research method that involves repeated observations of the same
variables over long periods of time.
61. Manuscript - A book, document, or piece of music written by hand rather than typed or printed.
62. Methodology - A system of methods used in a particular area of study or activity.
63. Mixed Methods - A research approach that combines qualitative and quantitative methods.
64. Narrative - A spoken or written account of connected events; a story.
65. Null Hypothesis - A hypothesis that suggests there is no statistical significance between the two
variables.
66. Objective - Not influenced by personal feelings or opinions in considering and representing facts.
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Observation - The action or process of closely observing or monitoring something or someone.
Operational Definition - A clear, concise detailed definition of a measure.
Outlier - A value that lies outside the normal range.
Parameter - A numerical or other measurable factor forming one of a set that defines a system
or sets the conditions of its operation.
71. Participant Observation - A type of observational research method in which the researcher
becomes a participant in the group being studied.
72. Peer Review - Evaluation of scientific, academic, or professional work by others working in the
same field.
73. Pilot Study - A small scale preliminary study conducted to evaluate feasibility, time, cost, adverse
events, and improve upon the study design prior to performance of a full-scale research project.
74. Plagiarism - The practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's
own.
75. Population - A group of individuals or items that researchers are interested in studying.
76. Primary Source - An original document or other material that has not been changed in any way.
77. Probability - The extent to which something is probable; the likelihood of something happening
or being the case.
78. Procedure - An established or official way of doing something.
79. Publication - The action of making something publicly known; the preparation and issuing of a
book, journal, or piece of music for public sale.
80. Qualitative - Relating to, measuring, or measured by the quality of something rather than its
quantity.
81. Quantitative - Relating to, measuring, or measured by the quantity of something rather than its
quality.
82. Questionnaire - A set of printed or written questions with a choice of answers, devised for the
purposes of a survey or statistical study.
83. Random Sample - A sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an
equal chance of being included.
84. Range - The area of variation between upper and lower limits on a particular scale.
85. Rationale - A set of reasons or a logical basis for a course of action or belief.
86. Reliability - The quality of being trustworthy or of performing consistently well.
87. Replication - The action of copying or reproducing something.
88. Research Design - A detailed plan or method for obtaining data scientifically.
89. Research Question - A question that a research project sets out to answer.
90. Respondent - A person who provides data for analysis by responding to a survey questionnaire.
91. Results - The outcome of a research process.
92. Review of Literature - A critical analysis of published sources, or literature, on a particular topic.
93. Sample - A small part or quantity intended to show what the whole is like.
94. Sampling Error - Error in statistical analysis arising from the unrepresentativeness of the sample
taken.
95. Secondary Source - A document or recording that relates or discusses information originally
presented elsewhere.
96. Statistical Significance - The likelihood that a result or relationship is caused by something other
than mere random chance.
97. Survey - A method of gathering information from a sample of individuals.
98. Theory - A supposition or a system of ideas intended to explain something.
99. Validity - The quality of being logically or factually sound; soundness or cogency.
100. Variable - An element, feature, or factor that is liable to vary or change.