To differentiate among various types of research, the scientific community uses various terms, which tend to fall into a discrete classification. On the one end, terms such as basic, fundamental, and theoretical research are used to refer to research focused on discovering fundamental principles and processes governing physical and life phenomena. On the other end, we find such terms as applied, clinical, practical, and product research. These refer to the application of the findings of basic/fundamental/theoretical research to generate research aimed at answering focused and problem-specific questions (Encyclopedia of Nursing Research, 2017).
Bias |
| A statistical term describing a systematic influence which leads to consistent over- or underestimation of a true value. For example, if a researcher is studying the effects of two different drugs on the same disease and personally favours one, unless they have been ‘blinded’ to which patient is receiving which treatment, they may unwittingly produce bias in the results by regarding those treated with their preferred drug as being healthier (Black's Medical Dictionary, 2018). |
Dependent variable |
| The dependent variable in a research study is the variable that is of principal interest to the investigator, i.e., the variable that really ‘counts.’ It is in contrast to the independent variable(s) that is (are) known or thought to be at least predictive if not actually causative of the dependent variable (Dictionary of Nursing Theory and Research, 2010). |
Double blind trial |
| A scientific study in which two or more groups of patients receive a different drug, the same drug at a different dose, or a placebo, with neither the investigators assessing the outcome nor the people being treated knowing which of these they are receiving. The aim is to remove any hint of bias due to the investigators’ or patients’ preferences or preconceptions (Black's Medical Dictionary, 2018). |
Evidence based practice |
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Evidence-based practice is the process by which health care providers incorporate the best research or evidence into clinical practice in combination with clinical expertise and within the context of patient values. In general, there are six tasks involved in evidence-based practice. They are identifying a problem, researching the literature, critiquing the evidence, formulating recommendations, implementing practice changes, and evaluation (The Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health, 2013). |
Empirical research |
| The term empirical research applies to any scientific study (qualitative or quantitative) in which some sort of evidence is obtained through methods that rely on the senses (i.e., direct or indirect observation). The evidence is in turn called data (Dictionary of Nursing Theory and Research, 2010). |
Focus groups |
| A focus group is a qualitative research method in which a trained moderator conducts a collective interview of typically six to eight participants from similar backgrounds, similar demographic characteristics, or both (Encyclopedia of Survey Research Methods, 2008). |
Hawthorne effect |
| Originating from studies conducted at the Hawthorne Plant of the Western Electric Company in the 1920s and 30s, the term ‘Hawthorne Effect’ now has come to mean changes in the behaviour of subjects that originate solely from their being the subject of research (The A-Z of Social Research, 2003). |
A periodical presenting articles on specialized topics, written by researchers or scholars. Many journals are indexed in a periodical index.
Literature reviewA literature review is typically the section of a research paper, dissertation or thesis that considers the writing that other authors have already produced on the topic. A literature review may also occasionally be referred to as a literature search or a critical literature review (Key Concepts in Business and Management Research Methods, 2011). |
Longitudial studyA longitudinal study is a type of research in which one or more groups of people are studied at several points in time. Typical longitudinal research involves a single cohort (either an entire population or a sample therefrom) that is followed across time to investigate its development with respect to some dependent variable (Dictionary of Nursing Theory and Research, 2010). |
Meta-analysis is a quantitative approach that permits the synthesis and integration of results from multiple individual studies focused on a specific research question. A meta-analysis is a rigorous alternative to the traditional narrative review of the literature (Encyclopedia of Nursing Research, 2017).
"Medical Subject Headings" used to provide consistent access to medical resources; used in online catalogues, the MEDLINE database, PubMed and other related medical databases. This controlled vocabulary is from the National Library of Medicine.
The term multivariate analysis usually applies to any statistical procedure that involves more than two variables. Eg. A defensible analysis of the research question “What is the effect of amount of salary increase on nurses' satisfaction and performance?” should consider satisfaction and performance in the same analysis because they might be correlated with one another (Dictionary of Nursing Theory & Research, 2010).
Naturalistic observation |
| The collection of data by careful observation of events in their natural setting. The oldest of the various scientific methods, it is used widely in areas such as ethology, ethno-methodology and developmental psychology (The Penguin Dictionary of Psychology, 2009). |
Observation |
| The act of regarding attentively and studying facts and occurrences, gathering data through analyzing, measuring, and drawing conclusions, with the purpose of applying the observed information to theoretical assumptions (MeSH, 2013). |
Open-ended questions |
| Respondents answer as they wish (The Penguin Dictionary of Sociology, 2006). |
Traditionally, placebos were inactive, often highly coloured, substances given to please or gratify the patient but without pharmacological benefit. Nowadays they are used in controlled studies, approved by ethics committees and with patient consent, to determine the efficacy of drugs, which have to be done by comparison with a placebo rather than with no treatment at all (Black's Medical Dictionary, 2018).
The procedures used by journal editors, researchers and scientists to review the work, decisions and writings of their professional colleagues – peer groups. Reviewers of scientific papers are commonly called referees, and papers submitted to medical and scientific journals for publication are customarily reviewed by one or more experts in the subject(s) dealt with in the paper. Also known as refereed, scholarly or academic. (Black's Medical Dictionary, 2018).
A primary source is a source of original data, such as documents, memorabilia, or firsthand accounts/diaries, photographs, interviews and original research studies. Primary sources are preferred over secondary sources because of the decreased potential for bias and distortion beyond the control of the researcher. that provides a first-hand account of a subject or event. Sometimes referred to as original sources or source material (Dictionary of Nursing Theory and Research, 2010). See also: Secondary Source.
The published record of a conference, congress, symposium, or other meetings sponsored by a society or association. See also: Transactions
Qualitative |
| It is a term used to describe an approach to research than stresses ‘quality’ not ‘quantity’, that is, social meanings rather than the collection of numerate statistical data. The qualitative approach is based on intensive study of as many features as possible of one or a small number of phenomena. Instead of condensing information, it seeks to build understanding by depth (The A-Z of Social Research, 2003). |
Quantitative |
| Is numerical measurement of specific aspects of phenomena. It is a very structured approach; in it competing explanations must be formulated in terms of the relationship between variables (The A-Z of Social Research, 2003). |
Regression |
| A statistical technique to investigate the relationship between two or more variables, in its simplest sense, regression can be used to predict the score of one variable from another variable, if those two variables are correlated. For instance, regression can be used to predict the adult height of a baby when it will become an adult. This could be done from just one variable, such as the mother's height (Cambridge Dictionary of Sociology, 2006). |
Review Article |
| A secondary source that reports and summarizes other authors’ works for the purpose of reviewing the state of the literature on a particular topic. Review articles contain helpful bibliographies and can be excellent sources for identifying additional articles in an area of study. |
Saturation |
| Theoretical saturation in grounded theory means more than what is said about data saturation (i.e., that it occurs when the database is sufficiently rich and data collection ceases to provide new information). Theoretical saturation means that data categories are ‘full’ in terms of their properties and dimensions; that each category's properties and dimensions have been fully examined under different conditions; that every hypothesized relationship among categories has been supported with data; and that there is enough richness and variation throughout the data to support explanatory relationship statements in the final model (Dictionary of Nursing Theory and Research, 2010). |
Secondary source |
| A secondary source is a source of data that consists of summarization of or commentary about primary data, such as writings or a life experience, by someone other than the person who produced the data or lived through the experience (Dictionary of Nursing Theory and Research, 2010). See also: Primary Source |
Systematic reviews |
| Systematic reviews are overviews of research evidence that address a specific clinical question using a structured, well-defined approach that is in itself a form of inquiry (Dictionary of Nursing Theory and Research, 2010). |
Theoretical article |
| Written to advance theory. These articles use existing research to present a new theory or to analyze and criticize existing theories. |
Theoretical saturation |
| See: Saturation |
Thesaurus |
| 1) A list of synonyms that frequently includes related terms and antonyms 2) A list of selected words or concepts for a specific subject area that uses a specialized vocabulary like medicine, education, business etc. Certain periodical indexes use thesauri (plural of thesaurus) like CINAHL. |
Transactions |
| The published papers read at the meetings of a society or institution. Sometimes used synonymously with proceedings. The key difference between these terms is that transactions are the papers presented and proceedings are the records of the meeting. |
Validity |
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Measurement validity refers to whether a test is measuring what it claims to (The Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health, 2013). |
Variable |
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Is a characteristic which can be measured and which may vary along a continuum, continuous variable (e.g. height), be more discrete (e.g. family size) or be bipolar (e.g. sex). The term is commonly used in empirical social research to denote the representation of a social factor such as age, social class, employment status, years of education, which can be observed to affect other measures, such as income level (which may be influenced by all of those mentioned) (Collins Dictionary of Sociology, 2006). |