Reference Librarian
Research is challenging enough when you do know the terms being used. These terms should help you in deciphering some of the jargon surround academic research.
- Peer review: the process of someone reading, checking, and giving his or her opinion about something that has been written by another scientist or expert working in the same subject area
- Scholarly source: a source that is regarded by experts in a certain field, typically those that have been subject to peer review
- Boolean operators: words and symbols, such as AND or NOT, that let you expand or narrow your search parameters when using a database or search engine
- Database: any collection of data, or information, that is specially organized for rapid search and retrieval. A library database is a collection of information (articles, books, etc.) that can be easily searched by the user
- Case study: a detailed study of a specific subject, such as a person, group, place, event, organization, or phenomenon
- Evidence-based practice: the integration of scientific evidence, patients' values, and one's own clinical judgment in order to make the best possible health care decision
- Abstract: a short summary of a longer work, typically at given at the beginning of research articles and papers
- Bias: a particular tendency, trend, inclination, feeling, or opinion, especially one that is preconceived or unreasoned. In the research setting, bias in authors should be determined to assess the impact of their work
- Citation: a short note recognizing a source of information or of a quoted passage
- Scholarship: a fund or body of knowledge and learning. In the academic setting, this typically refers to the entirety of information that has been published in a certain field.