Glossary

This glossary defines selected words, phrases and acronyms used in Study Smart.

Abstract: A summary of an article or paper, often appearing at the beginning of the paper. An abstract field may also be available in some indexes.
Acronyms: a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase, usually using individual initial letters, or syllables. E.g. QUT (Queensland University of Technology), or ATO (Australian Tax Office)
Article: Writing on a specific topic or subject found in a journal, periodical, magazine, or newspaper.
Author: The writer of a book, article, or other text
Bibliography: A list comprising both works cited in the text, and other relevant works consulted. Different to a Reference List required for referencing.
Boolean operators: Named after George Boole, an English mathematician who invented them as part of a system of logic in the nineteenth century. The operators include AND, OR, NOT (or AND NOT) and are used to indicate to databases and search engines which words to include and exclude. For example, "dolphins and seals" finds records with both terms included, "dolphins or seals" finds records with one, or the other, or both terms included. Also known as 'search operators'
Browser: A software program that is used to view information on the World Wide Web. Examples are Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer and Edge.
CINAHL database: A specialised databases covering numerous nursing and allied health disciplines.
Cite: To provide information (a citation) in the text that links a reader to a reference to the original author of a quote or paraphrased concept.
Collusion: Collusion involves unauthorised collaboration on assessment items with any other person/s. See the QUT Manual of Policies and Procedures for further information.
Concept: An idea, thought, notion, or general theme. A phrase or series of terms describing a problem.
Concept map: A visual organisation and representation of knowledge. It shows concepts and ideas and the relationships among them. Also known as a Mind Map.
Conference: A meeting for consultation or discussion.
Copyright: the exclusive and assignable legal right, given to the originator for a fixed number of years, to print, publish, perform, film, or record literary, artistic, or musical material.
Criteria sheet: The criteria by which a piece of assessment is graded, usually on a scale of 7-1. Also known as Criterion Referenced Assessment, CRA or marking criteria
Database: A database is information stored, typically in electronic format. It may contain bibliographic or numerical data, which is generally structured so that it can be sought and retrieved automatically. A collection of data. See also: Electronic databases.
DOI: A Digital Object Identifier: A character string used to identify electronic documents such as individual journal articles.
Domain: A group of networked computers that share a common communications address.
ebook: Books displayed and available to read and download online.
Edition statement: The total number of copies of a particular book, newspaper, etc., that are published at the same time.
Empirical: Based on documented observation or experience rather than by theory or logic. Thus, empirical journal articles report original research findings drawn from experiments or trials run by the author.
Encyclopaedia: A book or set of books containing many articles arranged in alphabetical order which deal either with the whole of human knowledge or with a particular part of it.
Evidence based information: Evidence based information is based on evidence based practice - the provision of health care guided by the integration of the best available scientific or research evidence with clinical expertise and patient values.
Field: A field is part of a record held in a database, containing specific information. For example, an author field contains the name of the authors that wrote the indexed work.
Full-text: Also seen as fulltext, full text. Signifies that the entire article is available for viewing in the database. It is usually available in either HTML or PDF formats.
Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML): HTML: the coding language used to create Hypertext documents for use on the World Wide Web. HTML looks a lot like old-fashioned typesetting code, where you surround a block of text with codes that indicate how it should appear; additionally, in HTML you can specify that a block of text, or a word, is linked to another file on the Internet. HTML files are meant to be viewed using a World Wide Web client program (browser), such as MS Internet Explorer or Netscape.
Index: An alphabetical list at the end of a book or periodical which gives page references to where names and subjects can be found. An alphabetical list of terms, (e.g. Author, keyword) providing points of access to search a database.
In-text citation: The brief form of the reference that you include in the body of your work. It gives enough information to uniquely identify the source in your reference list.
Journal: Contains scholarly research articles, papers, or reports.
Keywords: A significant word in a title or document.
Legislation: A law or set of laws suggested by a government and made official by a parliament.
Limiter: One that limits; a limiter of choices. Plural: limiters.
Literature review: A critical analysis of published sources, or literature, on a particular topic. It is an assessment of the literature and provides a summary, classification, comparison and evaluation.
Magazine: Contains popular articles.
Nesting: A function of searching whereby the terms within a set of parentheses (brackets) is searched first to ensure the correct logic of the search is maintained. Used when mixing Boolean operators in the same search statement. For example, circus and (trapeze or highwire) will find results that include circus and trapeze, circus and highwire, and circus and both terms.
Objectivity: A lack of bias, judgment, or prejudice
Open access: Open access is a set of principles and a range of practices through which research outputs are distributed online, free of cost or other access barriers.
Paraphrasing: A restatement of a text or passage in another form or other words, often to clarify meaning.
PDF: Portable Document Format. The extension of the file is .pdf. This format was developed by Adobe® Systems for ease of document sharing on the Internet and for easy printing of documents. It retains the original layout of the document when converted to a PDF file.
Peer reviewed: An article that has been read and critiqued by the author's peers.
Phrase searching: Phrase searching refers to the use of inverted commas to force a search tool to find terms in a phrase only. For example: "climate change".
Plagiarism: The act of using another person's work without crediting that person through a citation and reference.
Primary source: These are original materials, which have not been filtered through interpretation, or often even evaluation by a second party.
Proforma: A particular type of letter, document, etc. that is created as an example to show how others of the same type should be written or prepared.
Publisher: A person or business engaged in publishing periodicals or books or music.
QUT Readings: QUT's reading management system that provides access to the reading lists for units and courses. The lists can include books, chapters, journal articles, web pages, videos, conference papers, unreported judgements, cases, legislation, and past exam papers.
Record: A record is a group of fields that contain specific data describing the indexed entry of a piece of written work such as a journal article or conference paper.
Refereed: When an article or other item is given to an appointed person for review, especially for a settlement, decision, or an opinion as to its quality, it is said to have been refereed.
Reference: A reference is a description of a work by another author that has been quoted or paraphrased by the citing author; a reference usually appears at the end of a work and is linked to a citation in text.
Reference list: A list of information sources cited in an assignment, article, or piece of scholarly literature.
Reference management tools: Reference management tools allow you to store and manage the references that you gather in the course of your research. Examples include: Endnote, Mendeley, Zotero and Paperpile.
Scholarly: Of, relating to, or characteristic of scholars or scholarship: scholarly pursuits; a scholarly edition with footnotes. Academic; learned.
Search engine: A computer program that searches a database of web sites for specified keywords. For example, Google,
Search operators: Words used to indicate to databases and search engines which words to include and exclude. The operators include AND, OR, NOT (or AND NOT). For example, "dolphins and seals" finds records with both terms included, "dolphins or seals" finds records with one, or the other, or both terms included. Also known as 'Boolean operators'
Search statement: The keywords and connecting operators (i.e. Boolean operators) that are typed into a database to retrieve information.
Search tools: General term for resources that enable you to identify and obtain different types of publications. For example: QUT Library Search, databases, or internet search engines.
Secondary source: Information about original information which has usually been selected or modified for a particular purpose or audience.
Self-plagiarism: Re-using material that has been published or submitted as part of formal assessment.
Social media: The collective name for web based and mobile technologies that create participatory and collaborative online content.
Standards: Recommendation or specifications on quality, safety, dimensions, codes of practice, methods of testing, symbols and terminology.
Subject heading: Keywords used in the description of a topic. A subject heading is a word or phrase which is assigned to an item to describe its subject content. QUT Library uses Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) and Medical Subject Headings (MeSH).
Summarising: To summarise is to condense a large piece of text (such as a book, book chapter or journal article) into a short and concise version that captures the main points.
Synonym: A word having the same or nearly the same meaning as another word or other words in a language.
Syntax: The pattern of formation of sentences or phrases in a language.
Template: A template is a pattern, model, or guide for the creation of some kind of project. A file that serves as a starting point for a new document.
Thesaurus: A group or classification, or synonyms, or a list of descriptors (subject headings). Often publishers of periodical indexes/abstracts or other databases produce a thesaurus or list of preferred or 'controlled' subject headings. Plural: thesauri.
Title: An identifying name given to a book, play, film, musical composition, or other work.
Trade publication: Trade publications are periodicals which publish information relevant to a specific industry.
Truncation: A system of searching that allows you to place a symbol at the end of a word to find variants of that word. For example - aborig* = aborigine, aborigines, aboriginal, aboriginality. The symbol is dependent on the database used.
URL: Uniform Resource Locator. The address of a file on the Internet.
Volume: 1. A collection of written or printed sheets bound together; a book. 2. One of the books of a work printed and bound in more than one book. 3. A series of issues of a periodical, usually covering one calendar year. 4. A unit of written material assembled together and catalogued in a library.
Wildcard: Many databases allow a symbol known as a wildcard to be placed within a word to find variants of that word, e.g. wom?n = woman, women. Plural: wildcards, wild cards.