Research and Analysis Terms

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Research Question/Project Goal

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A focused, researchable inquiry that emerges from the scholar's purpose to explore, explain, or create new understanding within a discipline

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Literature Review

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A comprehensive synthesis of existing scholarly work that situates your research within the broader academic conversation and identifies gaps in current knowledge

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Methodology

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The systematic approach or framework you choose to collect, analyze, and interpret data, aligned with your research question and disciplinary conventions

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Primary vs. Secondary Sources

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Primary sources provide firsthand evidence (interviews, experiments, original documents); secondary sources analyze or interpret primary sources

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Triangulation

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Using multiple research methods or data sources to strengthen the validity and depth of understanding of your findings

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Validity

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The extent to which your research methods accurately measure what they claim to measure and your conclusions logically follow from your evidence

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Scholarly Conversation

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The ongoing dialogue among researchers in a field, where new work builds upon, challenges, or extends previous studies

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Gap in Knowledge

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An area where current research is insufficient, contradictory, or absent, providing justification for your inquiry

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Peer Review

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The process where experts evaluate research for quality, credibility, and contribution to the field before publication

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Line of Reasoning

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The logical arrangement of claims and evidence that leads to your conclusion, organized based on your argument's purpose (causality, evaluation, definition, or solution)