Knowledge Hub
A free, plain-English encyclopedia of research — concepts, statistical tests, terminology and tools, explained for scholars at every level.
A
Abstract
A concise summary of a study — its aim, method, key findings and contribution — usually 150–300 words, written last but read first.
AMOS
IBM software for covariance-based Structural Equation Modelling (CB-SEM), used to test path models and confirmatory factor analysis with graphical model building.
ANOVA
Analysis of Variance: a test comparing the means of three or more groups to see whether at least one differs significantly.
B
Bibliometrics
The quantitative study of publications and citations — for example mapping a field with tools like VOSviewer or Biblioshiny.
C
Conceptual Framework
A diagram or narrative showing the variables in a study and the hypothesised relationships between them, derived from theory and literature.
Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA)
A technique that tests whether measured items load onto the latent constructs a theory predicts, assessing construct validity.
Construct Validity
The extent to which a measurement instrument actually captures the abstract concept it claims to measure.
Cronbach's Alpha
A coefficient (0–1) estimating the internal-consistency reliability of a multi-item scale; values of 0.7 and above are commonly considered acceptable.
Cross-sectional Study
A design that collects data at a single point in time, giving a snapshot rather than tracking change.
D
Dependent Variable
The outcome a study seeks to explain or predict — the variable expected to change in response to the independent variable(s).
DOI
Digital Object Identifier: a permanent, unique link to a published article or dataset that does not break when a URL changes.
E
Effect Size
A standardised measure of the magnitude of a relationship or difference (e.g. Cohen's d, r), reported alongside statistical significance.
Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA)
A data-driven technique that uncovers the underlying factor structure among a set of variables when it is not known in advance.
G
Grounded Theory
A qualitative methodology that builds theory inductively from data through iterative coding, rather than testing a pre-set hypothesis.
H
h-index
A metric of an author's productivity and impact: the largest number h such that h of their papers each have at least h citations.
Hypothesis
A testable, falsifiable statement predicting a relationship between variables, stated as a null (no effect) and an alternative (an effect).
I
Impact Factor
A journal-level metric reflecting the average number of citations to recent articles in that journal; one signal of journal standing, not article quality.
Independent Variable
A variable the researcher manipulates or observes as a presumed cause of change in the dependent variable.
Informed Consent
A research-ethics requirement that participants voluntarily agree to take part after understanding the study's purpose, risks and their rights.
L
Likert Scale
An ordered response scale (e.g. 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree) used to measure attitudes and perceptions.
Literature Review
A structured, critical synthesis of prior research that establishes what is known, what is contested, and where the gap lies.
Longitudinal Study
A design that collects data from the same subjects over multiple time points to observe change or causal ordering.
M
Mediation
A relationship in which a third variable explains the mechanism through which an independent variable affects a dependent variable.
Meta-analysis
A statistical synthesis that pools effect sizes from multiple independent studies to estimate an overall effect.
Mixed Methods
A design that deliberately combines quantitative and qualitative data to answer a question more completely than either alone.
Moderation
A relationship in which a third variable changes the strength or direction of the link between two other variables.
N
Null Hypothesis
The default statement that there is no effect or no relationship; statistical tests seek evidence to reject it.
NVivo
Software for managing and analysing qualitative data — coding interviews, documents and media into themes and running queries.
O
Operationalisation
The process of defining an abstract construct in measurable terms — specifying exactly how it will be observed or scored.
P
p-value
The probability of obtaining results at least as extreme as observed if the null hypothesis were true; below a threshold (often 0.05) it is deemed statistically significant.
PLS-SEM
Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling: a variance-based SEM approach (run in SmartPLS) suited to prediction, complex models and smaller samples.
Population
The entire group about which a study seeks to draw conclusions; the sample is drawn from it.
PRISMA
Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: a checklist and flow diagram for transparent, reproducible review reporting.
Q
Qualitative Research
Inquiry that explores meaning, experience and context through non-numeric data such as interviews, observation and documents.
Quantitative Research
Inquiry that measures variables numerically and tests relationships or differences using statistics.
R
Regression
A family of techniques modelling how one or more predictors relate to an outcome, estimating the size and significance of each effect.
Reliability
The consistency of a measure — whether it yields the same results under repeated or equivalent conditions.
Research Design
The overall plan linking research questions to data — deciding what will be measured, from whom, when and how it will be analysed.
Research Gap
An unanswered question, untested context or unresolved contradiction in the literature that a study can credibly address.
Research Question
The precise, answerable question a study sets out to investigate, guiding design, data and analysis.
S
Sample Size
The number of observations in a study; adequate size is needed for statistical power and credible estimates.
Sampling
The method of selecting units from a population — probability methods (e.g. random) support generalisation; non-probability methods (e.g. convenience) do not.
Scopus
A large abstract-and-citation database of peer-reviewed literature, widely used to assess journal indexing and research impact.
SmartPLS
Software for PLS-SEM, used to estimate measurement and structural models, run bootstrapping and assess predictive relevance.
SPSS
IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences: widely used software for descriptive and inferential statistics such as t-tests, ANOVA and regression.
Structural Equation Modelling (SEM)
A framework that simultaneously tests measurement (items to constructs) and structural (construct to construct) relationships.
Systematic Literature Review (SLR)
A review using an explicit, reproducible protocol to search, screen, appraise and synthesise all relevant studies on a question.
T
Thematic Analysis
A qualitative method for identifying, analysing and reporting patterns (themes) across a dataset.
Theoretical Framework
The established theory (or theories) a study is built upon, used to justify hypotheses and interpret findings.
Turnitin
A similarity-detection service that compares submitted text against a large corpus; a tool to support originality, not a verdict on plagiarism by itself.
V
Validity
The degree to which a study measures what it intends to and supports sound, defensible conclusions.
Variable
Any characteristic that can take different values across subjects or conditions — independent, dependent, mediating, moderating or control.
Viva Voce
The oral examination in which a candidate defends their thesis and research decisions before examiners.
W
Web of Science
A selective, multidisciplinary citation database used to identify indexed journals and track citation impact.
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