Glossary of Research Terms
A glossary is an alphabetical list of words or terms, with a brief description.
Below is a glossary of some of the words used in this research guide.
Abstract - a short summary of an article, essay or research findings
Critical analysis - judging and forming your own opinions, and providing evidence to support your judgements and arguments regarding a particular topic or issue
Database - a collection of digital information sources housed or grouped together. The collections, and the database search engines, are designed to provide efficient information retrieval.
Appendix - additional information and material that supports the content of the body of work
Literature review - a critical account of what has been published on a topic by accredited researchers. Literature reviews highlight gaps in published research and topics, and discusses how these gaps can be addressed
Peer-reviewed - an article (or any body of work) may be considered 'peer-reviewed' if it has been closely examined by experts in the article's field prior to publication. It is a form of quality control, ensuring the information is authoritative, current and reliable.