Glossary of terms for basic research methods terminology

 

abstract: summary of academic research, usually 250–500 words long

 

academic research: research conducted for an academic qualification, such as a diploma, Master’s degree or PhD, or in support of an academic career

 

action research: an iterative process of reflection and problem solving in groups or communities

 

analysis: see data analysis

 

application programming interface (API): a piece of source code that is being used to release some open data in such a way that external programs can communicate with it and access or exchange data

 

average: see mean

 

background research: part of a research project designed to give context to the research question, which may be in the form of a document review – for workplace research; or a literature review – for academic research

 

bibliography: a list at the end of a book or other written document containing references, some of which are cited in the text and some of which are not but may be useful to readers

 

bivariate statistics: descriptive statistics which describe the relationship between two variables

 

case study: a research method in which a single ‘case’ (person, organisation, country and so on) is studied in depth

 

citation: giving the details of the source of an idea, fact or opinion which you draw on in your research

 

closed question: a question with predefined answers to choose from

 

code: a label for a piece of quantitative data or qualitative data

 

coding: labelling quantitative data or qualitative data to facilitate data analysis

 

coding frame: a set of words or phrases to guide your coding of qualitative data

 

content analysis: a method of analysing qualitative data where you count the number of instances of each code

 

convenience sample: a sample where you choose the first participants you can find who are willing to help

 

copyright: the legal right of control over original written (or musical or artistic) work

 

correlation co-efficient: a statistical calculation that gives an estimate of the average distance of each point on a scattergraph from the regression line

 

covariant relationship: a relationship where two variables change in accordance with one another

 

cross-analysis of data: see data synthesis

 

data: information collected for research

 

data analysis: methods of analysing data to find out what it can tell you

 

data collection: methods of collecting data for research

 

data mashup: a mixture of data from two or more APIs

 

data preparation: methods of preparing data for coding and analysis

 

data repository: a place where data is kept, usually on the World Wide Web

 

data synthesis: comparing and contrasting the findings of different segments of data analysis within the same piece of research. Sometimes called cross-analysis of data

 

dependent variable: a measurable characteristic which stays constant in the course of the research

 

descriptive statistics: statistics which enable us to summarise and describe numerical data

dissemination: sharing knowledge gained through research

 

dissertation: the write-up of a piece of academic research conducted for a qualification such as a Master’s degree

 

document review: a review of relevant documents to provide context for workplace research

 

documents: pieces of text which may be used for background research or as data

 

doi: Digital Object Identifier, used to uniquely identify electronic resources

 

draft: an unfinished piece of writing

 

edit: work to improve a draft

 

emancipatory research: see value-based research

 

emergent coding: coding based on whatever the researcher perceives to be of interest in qualitative data

 

ephemera: text and/or images that are not designed to be kept, but may be useful as data, such as advertising leaflets and social media updates

 

ethics: the rules of conduct for a particular activity

 

ethnography: a time-consuming research method, used in qualitative research, from the discipline of anthropology

 

evaluation: a type of applied research used to assess the effectiveness of services or interventions, and make recommendations for improvement

 

Excel: computer software by Microsoft designed for spreadsheets and with the ability to perform statistical calculations

 

executive summary: summary of workplace research, usually 1–4 pages long

 

findings: the results of research

 

focus group: a data collection technique in qualitative research that usually involves one or two researchers and several participants

 

formal theory: a way of making sense of an aspect or aspects of the world around us, based primarily on thought

 

freewriting: a technique to help writers overcome blocks or solve problems

 

frequency distribution: a way of showing how many times a particular variable has occurred, both of itself and in relation to other variables

 

generalisability: the extent to which the findings of research apply in situations beyond that in which the research was conducted

 

geographic information system (GIS): a way of working with data that contains location or place information, and plotting it on a map or doing calculations related to its position on the Earth

 

graph: a diagram to show changes in one variable or the relationship between two variables

 

grey literature: documents that are not formally published, but that may be available in hard copy and/or electronic formats from individuals, organisations, or governments

 

grid: a table designed for keeping records, for example of documents or literature, or making notes, for example of observations, for the purposes of research

 

hypothesis: a hunch, guess, or suspicion about something unknown

 

independent relationship: a relationship where two variables change independently of one another

 

independent researcher: a researcher who is not part of an academic or other institution

 

independent variable: a measurable characteristic that changes in the course of the research

 

inferential statistics: statistics that enable us to infer something about a population from a sample

 

informal theory: a way of making sense of an aspect or aspects of the world around us, based primarily on experience

 

instrument: see measuring devices

 

intellectual property: original ideas or words, which are held to belong to the person who created them

 

interval data: quantitative data in ranks with a defined numerical distance between them, such as age in years

 

interview: a data collection technique in qualitative research that usually involves one researcher and one or two participants

 

inventory: see measuring devices

 

literature: academic texts that may be used for background research

 

literature review: a review of relevant literature to provide context for academic research

 

location: a researcher’s position, which may be geographical, political, theoretical and so on

 

mashup tool: a technological tool for combining data from different APIs (application programming interfaces)

 

mean: a statistical calculation for quantitative data in which the total of all values is divided by the number of values. Also known as the average

 

measuring devices: scales, tools, instruments or inventories designed to measure human characteristics and conditions

 

median: the middle value in a set of quantitative data after it has been ranked in order

 

meta-analysis: similar to a systematic review, but also includes a statistical summary of findings from quantitative research

 

metadata records: data about data, such as grids designed for recording data during observation or for coding visual data

 

mixed-method research: research drawing on both quantitative data and qualitative data

 

mode: the value occurring most commonly in a set of quantitative data

 

nominal data: data in categories with labels, such as categories of ethnicity

 

non-probability sample: a sample in which every member of the population does not have an equal chance of becoming a member of the sample

 

NVivo: computer software designed to support the coding and analysis of qualitative data including text, audio, and images

 

observation: a data collection technique in qualitative research that usually involves one researcher and many participants

 

open access: free access for everyone, for example to academic journal articles

 

open data: data collected by governments and made freely available to everyone

 

open question: a question with no predefined answers

 

OpenOffice: freely available software that is compatible with Microsoft Office, including Microsoft Excel, and that performs the same functions

 

ordinal data: quantitative data in ranks without a defined numerical distance between them, such as the first, second, and third places in a competition

 

participant: someone who participates in research, for example by completing a questionnaire or taking part in an interview

 

participant observation: a time-consuming method of collecting data, often used within ethnography

 

participatory action research: similar to action research, but with a slightly stronger emphasis on partnership

 

pie chart: a way to show how many times a particular variable has occurred, of itself and in relation to other variables

 

pilot: a test run of a data collection method to assess its quality

 

plagiarism: presenting someone else’s ideas or words as your own original work

 

polish: the final stage in the writing process, to remove any remaining errors and finalise structure, grammar, word choices and so on

 

population: all of the people you could, in theory, include as participants in a research project

 

practitioner: someone who works in public services, whether paid or unpaid

 

primary data: data collected specifically for your research project

 

probability sample: a sample in which every member of the population has an equal chance of becoming a member of the sample

 

public services: services run by society for society, such as health, social care, criminal justice, and education services from pre-school to university

 

purposive sample: a sample of people who, in the researcher’s judgement, have most to contribute to the research

 

qualitative data: data in the form of words, images, sound, or anything except numbers

 

qualitative research: research based on qualitative data

 

quantitative data: data in the form of numbers

 

quantitative research: research based on quantitative data

 

questionnaire: a data-collection instrument for quantitative research

 

quota sample: the population is divided into segments on the basis of characteristics (for example gender, age, geographical location) and then a different type of sample, such as a convenience sample or purposive sample, is taken from each segment

 

random sample: a sample where random numbers are used to select participants

 

range: the difference between the smallest and largest values in a set of quantitative data

 

recommendations: suggestions for how workplace research can be put into practice

 

reference: the full details of a document or piece of literature, signposted by a citation

 

reference list: a list at the end of a research report, dissertation, or thesis, containing references, all of which are cited in the text

 

reliability: the extent to which a research method will produce the same results when used in different situations

 

research: systematic investigation, using a predefined research method, to gather information with the aim of answering a predefined research question

 

research commissioner: someone who holds a budget for a piece of research

 

research method: system for conducting research

 

research plan: similar to a research proposal, most commonly used in workplace research to inform people such as research commissioners, managers, and colleagues

 

research proposal: a written explanation of what you intend to research and why, and how you intend to carry out the research, to inform people such as potential funders or PhD supervisors, most commonly used in academic research

 

research question: the stated question which a piece of research aims to answer

 

research report: the write-up of a piece of workplace research

 

research topic: the subject area of a piece of research

 

researcher: a person who does research

 

sample: the people you include as participants in a research project, drawn from a population

 

scale: see measuring devices

 

scattergraph: a graph that gives an overview of the relationship between two variables

 

secondary data: data that was not collected specifically for your research project, but that you can use in your research

 

service user: a user of public services

 

snowball sample: a sample where one or more participants help the researcher to find other participants

 

SPSS: Statistical Package for Social Scientists, computer software designed to perform statistical calculations

 

standpoint: a person’s own position from which they view or judge things

 

statistics: a branch of mathematics that enables the analysis and interpretation of numerical data

 

stratified random sample: a sample where the population is divided into segments on the basis of characteristics such as gender, age, or geographical location, and then a random sample is taken from each segment of the population

 

stratified sample: a sample where you use one number generated at random to select the first participant, then choose other participants at regular intervals, for example every third or every tenth person

 

survey: a piece of research, often large-scale, to investigate people’s experiences, attitudes, behaviours, judgements, beliefs and so on

 

systematic review: a review of all the research previously conducted around a specific research question

 

thematic analysis: a method for identifying themes within coded data

 

theory: a way of making sense of an aspect or aspects of the world around us. See also formal theory and informal theory

 

thesis: the write-up of a piece of academic research conducted for a qualification such as a PhD

 

third sector: organisations and groups that provide public services and are neither state-funded nor run purely for profit, such as charities, social enterprises and community groups

 

tool: see measuring devices

 

transcribe: to convert data from audio to text

 

univariate statistics: descriptive statistics that describe a single variable

 

URL: Uniform Resource Locator; that is, the address of a web page

 

validity: the extent to which a research method does what it claims to do

 

value-based research: research intended to effect positive change, sometimes called emancipatory research

 

variable: a measurable characteristic

 

variance: in quantitative data, an estimate of the average distance of each value from the mean

 

visual data: qualitative data in the form of images, such as photographs, paintings, drawings, collage, video

 

viva: an oral examination for academic research such as a PhD

 

workplace research: research conducted to support professional work, such as evaluation research, skills audit, training needs analysis