Research Terminology

• Technical terms used in research

Research

• An art of scientific investigation.
• A study using a scientific method of a problem, concern, or issue.
• Systematic efforts to gain new knowledge.
• An investigation or inquiry through a search for new facts in any branch of knowledge.
• An organized and systematic way of finding answers to questions.

Research Paper

• A piece of academic writing.
• Provides analysis, interpretation, and argument based on in-depth independent research.

Abstract

• A short summary of completed research.
• Describes work without going into detail.
• It should be self-contained and concise, explaining work as briefly and clearly as possible.

Introduction

• Appears after the title and abstract.
• Leads the reader from a general subject area to a particular topic of inquiry.
• Establishes the scope, context, and significance of the research.
• Accomplished by summarizing current understanding and background information about the topic.
• States the purpose of the work in the form of a research problem supported by a hypothesis or a set of questions.
• Briefly explains the methodological approach used to examine the research problem.
• Highlights the potential outcomes the study may reveal.
• Outlines the remaining structure and organization of the paper.

Literature Review

• Provides an overview of explored sources which include:
  • Books
  • Scholarly articles
• Any other sources relevant to a particular issue, area of research, or theory.
• Demonstrates how the research fits within a larger field of study. Provides an overview of current knowlege, which identifies:
  • Relevant theories
  • Applicable methods
  • Gaps in the existing research

Hypothesis

• A statement of expectation or prediction that will be tested by research.
• Commonly known as the researcher's intellectual or wild guess about the possible result of the study.

Methodology

• The systematic method to resolve a research problem through data gathering using various techniques.
• Provides an interpretation of data gathered.
• Draws conclusions about the research data.

Population

• The entire group a researcher wants to draw conclusions about.
• A group containing elements like objects, events, organizations, countries, or species that the researcher wants to study.

Sample

• A smaller part or subgroup of the population.
• The specific group within a population from whom data will be collected.
• The participants in the study who answer surveys or interviews.

Reasons for Sampling

• Necessity: It may be impossible to study the whole population due to its size or inaccessibility.
• Practicality: Collecting data from a sample is easier and more efficient.
• Cost-effectiveness: Fewer participants usually means fewer lab equipment and researcher costs.
• Manageability: Storing and running statistical analyses on smaller datasets is easier and more reliable.

Types of Samples

• Respondents
• Participants
• Subjects

Variable

• Any factor, trait, or condition that can be manipulated, controlled for, or measured in an experiment.

Independent Variable

• The variable in an experiment that is changed or manipulated.
• Assumed to have a direct effect on the dependent variable.

Dependent Variable

• The variable that responds to changes.
• The variable being tested and measured.
• "Dependent" on the independent variable.

Instrument

• Any tool used to collect or obtain data that is relevant to the subject of research:
  • Questionnaires
  • Surveys
  • Interviews
  • Checklists
  • Simple tests

Questionnaire

• The main instrument for collecting data in survey research.
• A set of standardized questions, often called items, following a fixed scheme to collect individual data about one or more specific topics.

Data

• Any information that has been collected.
• Observed, generated, or created.
• Used to validate original research findings.

Results

• The section of a research paper.
• Authors provide data collected during their study.

Discussion

• Interprets and describes the significance of findings in light of what was already known about the research problem being investigated.
• Explains any new understanding or insights that emerged as a result of the study of the problem.

Conclusion

• Intended to help the readers understand the impact of the research after they have finished reading the paper.
• Not merely a summary of the points or a restatement of the research problem, but a synthesis of key points.

Reference

• The last page of a research paper.
• Lists all the sources used in the study
• It gives credit to any authors you have consulted.

Appendix

• Serves as a space for materials that help clarify research but do not belong in the main text.
• Can also contain a copy of the research instrument such as interview transcripts, questionnaires, or surveys.

Explanation of technical terms used in research. Includes definitions for research, research paper, abstract, and the introduction. An overview of academic writing and scientific investigation.