Science & Research

20 words

1. 1

   inferencenoun/ˈɪnfərəns/

   a conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning

   “From the survey data we can draw the inference that young people prefer online shopping.”

2. 2

   generalizabilitynoun/ˌdʒenərəlaɪzəˈbɪlɪti/

   the extent to which study findings apply to settings, people, or times beyond the study sample

   “The small, single-centre sample raised concerns about the generalizability of the results.”

3. 3

   reproducibilitynoun/ˌriːprəˌdʌsəˈbɪlɪti/

   the ability of a study or experiment to be repeated by others and produce the same results

   “A lack of reproducibility across labs has sparked debate about the robustness of the findings.”

4. 4

   confoundernoun/kənˈfaʊndə(r)/

   a variable that distorts or masks the true relationship between the studied factors

   “Age was a confounder in the study, because older participants were less active and had more health problems.”

5. 5

   blindingnoun/ˈblaɪndɪŋ/

   the practice of keeping participants, investigators, or assessors unaware of treatment allocation to prevent bias

   “The trial used double blinding so neither patients nor doctors knew who received the drug.”

6. 6

   attritionnoun/əˈtrɪʃ(ə)n/

   the loss of participants from a study over time, which can bias results

   “High attrition in the follow-up period weakened the study's conclusions.”

7. 7

   implicationnoun/ˌɪmplɪˈkeɪʃən/

   a possible effect or result of an action or a decision

   “One implication of the study is that early education matters for long-term health.”

8. 8

   demographicadjective | noun/ˌdeməˈɡræfɪk/

   relating to the characteristics of populations such as age, gender or income; also used as a noun for such data

   “Demographic factors like age and education influence voting behaviour.”

9. 9

   methodologynoun/ˌmeθəˈdɒlədʒi/

   the system of methods and principles used in a particular study or field of work

   “The thesis explains the methodology used to select participants.”

10. 10

    operationalizeverb/ˌɒpəˈreɪʃənəlaɪz/

    to define a concept so it can be measured or tested in research

    “We operationalized 'academic engagement' as class attendance and time spent on homework.”

11. 11

    paradigmnoun/ˈpærədaɪm/

    a typical example or model of something, especially a set of ideas and practices that define a scientific discipline

    “The study challenges the existing paradigm of cognitive development.”

12. 12

    causationnoun/kɔːˈzeɪʃ(ə)n/

    the relationship in which one thing makes another thing happen

    “After adjusting for other factors, the researchers argued the data supported causation rather than mere correlation.”

13. 13

    cohortnoun/ˈkəʊhɔːt/

    a group of people who share a characteristic and are studied over a period of time

    “The cohort was tracked for ten years to observe health outcomes.”

14. 14

    covariatenoun/kəʊˈveərɪət/

    a variable that is possibly predictive of the outcome and is included in the analysis to control for its effect

    “Age and baseline health status were included as covariates in the regression model.”

15. 15

    longitudinaladjective/ˌlɒŋɡɪˈtjuːdɪnəl/

    describing a study that follows the same people or units over a long period

    “Longitudinal research can reveal development patterns that cross-sectional studies miss.”

16. 16

    stratifyverb/ˈstrætɪfaɪ/

    to divide a sample or population into subgroups (strata) based on characteristics

    “The sample was stratified by age group to ensure each cohort was represented.”

17. 17

    triangulationnoun/traɪˌæŋɡjʊˈleɪʃən/

    the use of multiple methods or data sources to cross-check findings and increase credibility

    “The study used methodological triangulation—interviews, observation and a questionnaire—to validate the findings.”

18. 18

    multicollinearitynoun/ˌmʌltiˌkɒlɪˈnɪərəti/

    a situation where independent variables in a regression are highly correlated, making coefficient estimates unstable

    “High multicollinearity between income and education made it hard to separate their effects.”

19. 19

    synthesisnoun/ˈsɪnθəsɪs/

    the combination of ideas or results from different sources to form a coherent whole

    “The literature review contains a synthesis of recent studies on urban air quality.”

20. 20

    ethnographynoun/ɛθˈnɒɡrəfi/

    a qualitative method involving immersive observation and interviews to study cultures or social groups

    “The anthropologist spent a year doing ethnography in a rural community.”