Glossary
of Terms:
a
b c d e f g h i j k l m n o
p q r s t u
v w x y z
Most of
the definitions on this site will be copied from published or on-line
sources. When we cannot find a decent definition, we will provide it
ourselves and note the authorship.
Click here
to get suggestions on how to find
good definitions of major concepts in the social sciences.
There are
some interesting tools you can use to explore the semantic web of meaning
(related terminology/ideas) within which concepts are embedded. The
Visual Thesaurus,
for instance, is an animated display of words and meanings -- a visual
representation of the English language. Looking up a word creates a
visualization with your word in the center of the display, connected
to related words and meanings. You can then click on these words or
meanings to explore further.
Another
"infocartographic" technology creates knowledge maps as "hyperbolic
trees." Click here for an example
focused on sustainable development.
Applied
Research
"Research that attempts to solve a concrete problem or address
a specific policy question and that has a direct, practical application"
(Neuman 2000, 504).
Basic
Research
"Research that advances knowledge of the fundamentals of how the
social world works and develops general theoretical explanations"
(Neuman 2000, 505).
DATA
Neuman (2000, 507) defines data as "Numerical and nonnumerical
forms of information and evidence that have been carefully gathered
according to rules or established procedures."
PEER-REVIEWED
A peer reviewed journal is scholarly periodical managed by editors who
rely on the judgment (evaluation) of experts to determine if an article
merits publication. Generally, this is a "blind" process in
which the reviewer does not know the author's identity, nor does the
author find out who did the review. The rationale is that anonomity
fosters a more open and unbiased reveiw process. The reviewers make
a recommendations, which the editors may of may not accept. The recommnedations
range from acceptance of the article, or acceptance with minor or major
corrections, to rejection of the article. Publications that undergo
this editorial process are are considered more rigorous and more serious
than those that do not (KP)
STATISTICS
"Statistics are produced from data. The dictionary definition of
"statistics" refers to numeric indicators of nations. Popular
usage of the term points to numeric summaries that condense information,
or numbers that are used to make comparisons, or numbers that portray
relationships or associations. The term statistics also refers a formal
discipline of study. The field of statistics is the science of generalization.
Built upon theories of probability and inference, statistics support
the making of broad generalizations from a smaller number of specific
observations."
(UCSD's "Glossary
of Selected Social Science Computing Terms and Social Science Data Terms").
UNIT
OF ANALYSIS
"The basic observable entity being analyzed by a study and for
which data are collected in the form of variables . Although a unit
of analysis is sometimes referred to as the case or "observation,"
these are not always synonymous. For instance, in public opinion polls,
the unit of analysis is usually a single person and the answers to the
survey questions by one person constitute a "case." In a census,
however, a "case" could be considered the household because
all the data for one household is collected on one survey instrument;
the household "case" may contain different variables for the
different units of analysis: a physical housing structure, a family
within the structure, a person within the family. Contrast with Unit
of observation."
(UCSD's "Glossary
of Selected Social Science Computing Terms and Social Science Data Terms").
UNIT
OF OBSERVATION
"When social science methodology is used to collect data, the entity
which is observed or about which information is collected is the unit
of observation.
The unit of observation is the same as the unit of analysis when the
generalizations being made from a statistical analysis are attributed
to the unit of observation (i.e., the objects about which data were
collected and organized for statistical analysis) While the units of
observation and analysis are often the same, the wealth of secondary
data sources creates opportunities to conduct analyses with data from
multiple units of observation. This is probably most recognizable in
GIS research. Example: A major national study uses a form that collects
information about each person in a dwelling and information about the
housing structure. Therefore, this study collects data for two units
of observation: persons and housing structures. From these data, different
units of analysis may be constructed: Household could be examined as
a unit of analysis by combining data from people living in the same
dwelling. Family could be treated as the unit of analysis by combining
data from all members in a dwelling sharing a familialrelationship.
This expresses how the unit of analysis can be constructed from units
of observation consisting of some type of relationship constructed by
time, space or social properties." (UCSD's "Glossary
of Selected Social Science Computing Terms and Social Science Data Terms").
VARIABLE
"In social science research, for each unit of analysis , each item
of data (e.g., age of person, income of family, consumer price index)
is called a variable. (UCSD's "Glossary
of Selected Social Science Computing Terms and Social Science Data Terms").
Also, from Neuman (2000, 521): "A concept or its empirical
measure that can take on multiple values."
