Glossary

Any unwanted medical occurrence or other safety issue that happens during a research study. Adverse events should be recorded, reported, and managed according to the study protocol.

The continuous development of research skills, systems, and experience through routine health research so that teams are ready to respond rapidly when a new outbreak or health emergency occurs.

The process of examining collected data to answer the research question and draw conclusions. Analysis should follow the plan described in the study protocol.

A description of how the collected data will be analysed to answer the research question. It should be planned before the study begins.

An assessment of whether current practice meets established standards. Unlike research, an audit aims to improve local practice rather than generate new knowledge.

An ethical principle requiring researchers to maximise potential benefits while minimising harm to participants.

A systematic error that may influence study findings and reduce their accuracy or reliability.

Measures used to protect people, the environment, and laboratory staff when handling potentially infectious materials.

A structured form used to record study data consistently for each participant.

A research study that prospectively assigns participants to one or more health-related interventions to evaluate their effects on health outcomes.

Working with communities before, during, and after research to build trust, improve study relevance, and support the use of findings.

Protecting participants’ personal information so it is only accessed by authorised individuals.

A participant’s voluntary agreement to take part in research after receiving appropriate information about the study.

The process of checking data for errors, missing information, duplicate records, and inconsistencies before analysis.

The systematic gathering of information needed to answer the research question.

The organisation, storage, protection, and maintenance of study data throughout the research process.

The accuracy, completeness, consistency, and reliability of collected data.

Making research data available to other researchers through appropriate governance, ethical safeguards, and data-sharing processes.

An internationally recognised statement of ethical principles for research involving human participants.

Research that describes a disease, population, or health problem without investigating cause-and-effect relationships.

Sharing research findings with people who can use them, including healthcare workers, policymakers, communities, and other researchers.

Independent review and approval of a research study to ensure that it meets ethical standards and protects participants.

An independent group that reviews research studies to protect the rights, safety, and wellbeing of participants.

Information generated through systematic research that helps answer questions and inform healthcare decisions.

An important question or uncertainty that existing evidence has not yet answered.

Research that explores relationships between factors to help explain why something happens.

Contact with a factor that may influence the risk of disease or another health outcome.

Whether a study can realistically be carried out using the available staff, resources, equipment, funding, and time.

Knowledge that can be applied beyond the setting where the research was conducted.

The study of the genetic material of organisms, including pathogens, to understand how they evolve and spread.

The systematic attempt to generate new, transferable, or generalisable knowledge using scientifically sound methods.

A specific statement or prediction that a study is designed to investigate.

Putting the approved study protocol or research findings into practice.

The process of translating research findings into healthcare practice, policy, or public health action.

The process of ensuring that participants understand the study before voluntarily agreeing to take part.

A treatment, diagnostic test, preventive measure, or other action being evaluated in research.

An ethical principle that requires fairness in selecting participants and distributing the benefits and burdens of research.

A type of social science research used to understand what people know, believe, and do about a health issue.

Information that describes research data, such as when and where a sample was collected or how the data were generated.

Research that combines quantitative and qualitative approaches to answer a research question.

An ethical principle requiring researchers to avoid causing unnecessary harm.

A study in which researchers observe participants without assigning interventions.

The occurrence of more cases of a disease than expected in a particular place or population.

The result or effect measured during a research study.

A person who takes part in a research study.

A microorganism, such as a virus, bacterium, fungus, or parasite, that causes disease.

The active involvement of patients, communities, and members of the public in shaping research rather than simply participating in it.

The study of evolutionary relationships between organisms using genetic information.

Research that estimates future outcomes or identifies factors that may predict an outcome.

The main question that a study is designed to answer.

The person with overall responsibility for the scientific, ethical, and operational conduct of a research study.

The detailed plan for a study. It explains what the study will do, why it is being done, who will be involved, how it will be carried out, and how the research question will be answered.

A departure from the approved study protocol.

Research that explores people’s experiences, views, behaviours, and perceptions using methods such as interviews or focus groups.

Research that collects numerical data to measure, compare, or investigate relationships.

A method of allocating participants to different study groups by chance to reduce bias.

The specific question that the study is designed to answer.

Healthcare provided as part of normal patient management without the intention of generating new, generalisable knowledge.

A biological specimen or a group of participants selected for research.

The number of participants or samples included in a study.

Conducting research honestly, accurately, transparently, and according to accepted scientific standards.

An additional question that supports the main aim of the study.

An assessment of how well a healthcare service is working, undertaken to improve local services rather than generate generalisable knowledge.

Research that examines people’s behaviours, beliefs, experiences, and social factors affecting health.

A written instruction describing how a task should be performed consistently.

The group of people who are eligible to participate in a study.

The continuous collection and analysis of health information to monitor diseases and guide public health action.

Organised, planned, and reproducible approaches used to conduct research.

Knowledge that can be applied or adapted in settings beyond the original study.

The process of tracking and managing changes to documents, forms, files, or datasets over time.

Groups who may require additional safeguards during research because they may face greater risks, reduced autonomy, barriers to understanding information, or limited freedom to decline participation.

A practical review of the participant, data, and sample journeys before recruitment begins to ensure that the study can operate as planned.