Glossary

A brief summary of a study and its results.

A systematic error or deviation from the truth in results.

Terms such as AND, OR, NOT which specify the relationship between concepts required for an item to be retrieved.

An assessment of the likelihood that the intervention effect will not be substantially different from what the research found.

A reference to a source that gives enough information so the reader can find the source.

Where an individual may preference, or be perceived to preference, their own interests or obligations over their duties and responsibilities as a researcher.

The process of assessing and interpreting evidence, by systematically considering its validity, results and relevance to your own context.

A systematically organised collection of information, such as journal articles.

Digital object identifier. A unique string of letters and numbers that permanently links to a specific online resource such as a journal article.

Synonyms that link to subject headings.

A set of characters in a database that describes a particular kind of data, such as a title or abstract.

Also called hedges. A combination of search terms designed to retrieve studies meeting particular criteria, eg study design, population, geographic setting.

A structure to organise the components of a balanced and focused research question.

Material that is not published in a peer reviewed journal or a chapter in a book. It includes internal reports, committee minutes, conference papers, fact sheets, newsletters.

Qualifications and disqualifications for retrieved results.

Something that aims to make a change and is tested through research.

The practical or theoretical shortcomings of a study that are often outside of the researcher's control.

A systematic review which is continually updated, incorporating relevant new evidence as it becomes available.

How research is done, including how information is collected and analysed and why a particular method was chosen.

Research that uses more than one method, such as both quantitative and qualitative.

A character or string of characters used in a database to narrow the focus of the search.

The result of a study’s intervention.

Where a research report is read and commented on by people with similar expertise and interests. It helps to check the quality of the research.

Taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own.

A company which provides access to a number of databases through the same interface.

The plan for a piece of research, describing in detail what the researchers plan to do.

Also called adjacency operators. Commands entered into a database that allow you to search for two or more terms occurring in close proximity.

Qualitative research uses individual in-depth interviews, focus groups or questionnaires to collect, analyse and interpret data on what people do and say.

Quantitative research uses statistical methods to count and measure outcomes from a study. The outcomes are usually objective and predetermined.

A presentation of all the sources used in a piece of writing.

A program that helps create and manage records of literature.

A database for the publication of information about the design, conduct and administration of research.

A database of a learning institution such as a university where material produced as part of their research is archived.

A question or a problem that has not been answered by any existing studies or research.

The removal of an already published article from a journal.

Conducting research in a way that increases the chance of getting accurate results.

The risk of a systematic error in the research that could detract from the truth.

In subject headings, a terms definition or explanation of the term’s correct usage.

A group of known articles about a topic that are used to start developing a search, or test a search.

A word or phrase that describes all material in a database on that subject.