Glossary - Research Basics and Terminology

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H

Hypothesis

(Last edited: Tuesday, 14 March 2017, 8:55 AM)

= statement being tested

Keyword(s):

I

Incidence

(Last edited: Tuesday, 14 March 2017, 8:55 AM)

Number of new occurrences of a condition in a population over a given period of time
Example: number of new cases of breast cancer in Bavaria over one year

Keyword(s):

Independent Variable

(Last edited: Tuesday, 14 March 2017, 8:55 AM)

Value controlled or set by the researcher
It influences the dependent variable
Example:

Clinical trial

Dependent variable = outcome (ill or healthy)

Independent variable = treatment arm (new drug)

Keyword(s):

Interval Scale

(Last edited: Tuesday, 14 March 2017, 8:55 AM)

Measurement scale; interval known, but no true “0” point
Type of data: metric, quantitative, discrete or continuous
Example: temperature (Fahrenheit or Celsius), IQ, etc.

Keyword(s):

L

Levels of Evidence

(Last edited: Tuesday, 14 March 2017, 8:55 AM)

Level I: Evidence from a systematic review or meta-analysis of all relevant RCTs

Level II: Evidence obtained from well-designed RCTs

Level III: Evidence obtained from well-designed controlled trials without randomization

Level IV: Evidence from well-designed case-control and cohort studies

Level V: Evidence from systematic reviews of descriptive and qualitative studies

Level VI: Evidence from single descriptive or qualitative studies

Level VII: Evidence from an opinion of authorities and/ or reports of expert committees

Further information: Evidence Based Practice Toolkit

More information about different study types: Literature Reviews: Types of Clinical Study Designs

Keyword(s):

M

Maximum (MAX)

(Last edited: Tuesday, 14 March 2017, 8:55 AM)

Largest number in a data set
Example:

Set of numbers: 3,4,5,5,5,6,7

MAX= 7

Keyword(s):

Mean (μ, x̄)

(Last edited: Tuesday, 14 March 2017, 8:55 AM)

(Arithmetic) average
Sum of all observations divided by the number of observations
Formula: $\mu$ = (x₁+ x₂+ …+ x_i)/ n
Example:

Set of numbers: $\mu$ = 3, 4, 5, 5, 5, 6, 7 = (3 +4 +5 +5 +5 +6 +7)/ 7 = 35/ 7= 5

Keyword(s):

Median

(Last edited: Tuesday, 14 March 2017, 8:55 AM)

Value of the observation that falls in the middle when observations are ranked in order
Formula:

Uneven number of observations: = x_(n+1)/2
Even number of observations: = (x_(n/2)+ x_(n+2)/2)/ 2

Example:

Order all observations from smallest to highest number

Uneven number of observations: n= 7

Set of numbers (ordered from smallest to biggest number): 3, 4, 5, 5, 5, 6, 7

: x_(n+1)/2= x_(7+1)/2= x₄→ x₄= 5

2. Even number of observations: n= 8

Set of numbers (ordered from lowest to highest number): 3, 4, 5, 5, 6, 6, 7, 9

: (x_(n/2)+ x_(n+2)/2)/ 2= (x_(8/2)+ x_(8+2)/2)/ 2= (x₄+ x₅)/ 2= (5+ 6)/ 2= 11/ 2= 5.5

Keyword(s):

Minimum (MIN)

(Last edited: Tuesday, 14 March 2017, 8:55 AM)

Smallest value in a data set
Example:

Set of numbers: 3,4,5,5,5,6,7
MIN= 3

Keyword(s):

Mode

(Last edited: Tuesday, 14 March 2017, 8:55 AM)

Most frequent value in a data set
Example:

Set of numbers: 3, 4, 5, 5, 5, 6, 7

Mode= 5

Keyword(s):

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