Research Vocabulary

Every field has its own vocabulary. Here are a few of the research terms you'll encounter as you explore OSC.

• Bias: The tendency to think, measure, or interpret evidence in ways that can lead us away from the truth. Because everyone is susceptible to bias, scientists use methods that help them recognize and reduce it. See also: confirmation bias, transparency.

• Confirmation bias: Our impulse to notice evidence that supports what we already believe while overlooking evidence that challenges it. Responsible researchers actively look for reasons they might be wrong. See also: bias, intellectual humility.

• Generalizability: The extent to which a finding applies to new people, places, methods, or situations. Every replication also tests generalizability, because no two studies are ever exactly alike. See also: replication.

• Hypothesis: A testable explanation or prediction about how the world works, often stated as a relationship between two variables. Good hypotheses can be supported or challenged by evidence. See also: variable, preregistration.

• Intellectual humility: Recognition that any of us can be mistaken, plus a willingness to revise our beliefs when presented with strong evidence. Intellectual humility is a strength, not a weakness. See also: confirmation bias.

• Metascience: The study of how science itself works, and how it can work better. Metascientists investigate questions such as why studies do not replicate and how researchers can make their work more trustworthy. See also: open science, replication.

• Null result: A finding that does not reveal a pattern that the researcher expected. Null results are valuable because they help us learn what does not appear to be true and then update our beliefs accordingly. See also: replication.

• Open science: A movement to make research more transparent, reproducible, and accesible by sharing data, methods, materials, and findings whenever possible. See also: preregistration, transparency.

• P-hacking: Analyzing data in many different ways until a statistically significant result appears, even if that result occurred by chance. Open science practices help reduce the temptation to p-hack. See also: open science, preregistration, transparency.

• Peer review: The process by which other researchers evaluate a study before it is published. Peer review can improve research by identifying weaknesses and suggesting revisions, but it is only one step in the ongoing process of scientific self-correction—and an imperfect one. Replication, reproducibility, and transparency all help strengthen knowledge after publication. See also: open science, replication, reproducibility, transparency.

• Preregistration: Writing down a research plan before collecting or analyzing data. Preregistration helps distinguish predictions made in advance from discoveries made afterward. See also: hypothesis, open science.

• Replication: A new study designed to test whether a previous claim holds up to new evidence. Replications increase or decrease our confidence in a claim, helping science gradually improve our understanding of the world. See also: generalizability

• Reproducibility: The ability for someone else to obtain the same results using the same data and analysis. Reproducibility helps verify that a study was conducted and reported accurately.

• Transparency: Being open about how research was conducted, including the hypotheses, data, methods, and decisions that led to the results. Transparency allows others to understand, evaluate, and build on previous work. See also: hypothesis, open science, replication, reproducibility.

• Variable: Anything that can differ across people, places, objects, or moments in time. Researchers study variables to understand how the world changes and how different variables relate to each other. See also: hypothesis.

Missing a term? This list will continue to grow as OSC evolves.