Abstract
– A brief summary or overview of the main points of a work.
Annotated bibliography
– A list of source citations with a summary or brief statement about each.
Bibliography (also References or Works Cited)
– An alphabetical list of sources such as books, articles, websites, or other information used to compose a writing project. Includes information such as the title, author, volume and issue, website URL, and date of publication for each source.
Bound periodical
– Issues of a journal bound together (usually by volume) in a hard book cover to preserve and organize them for later use.
Citation
– A reference to a particular article, book chapter or another source; usually includes at least the title, author, and year of publication. Bibliographies are collections of citations.
Dissertation
– A research project required to earn a doctoral degree.
Expository text
– Explains, clarifies, and organizes information on a topic.
Microfiche
– Small plastic sheets containing tiny images of books, newspapers, and other materials that require a microform reader for viewing and printing.
Microfilm
– Rolls of film containing tiny images of books, newspapers, and other materials that require a microform reader for viewing and printing.
Original research article (also Primary Scientific Literature)
- An article written by researchers that explains their research and its findings, written in scientific format, peer-reviewed and published in an academic journal.
Parenthetical citation
– Source citations within the text of a written work that point the reader to the original source of the information, listed in detail in the Bibliography, References, or Works Cited at the end of the work.
Peer-reviewed journal (also Refereed journal)
– A journal that uses a panel of subject experts (the “peers” of the authors submitting articles) to review and select articles for publication in the journal, according to its publication standards.
Periodical
– A magazine or journal published at regular intervals.
Primary source
– An artifact or document from the time period in which an event occurred.
Qualitative research
– Research that involves analysis through observation and interpretation. Data may be in the form of observation or artifacts. Qualitative research seeks to describe and interpret.
Quantitative research
– Research using data in the form of numerical data and statistical models. Quantitative research seeks to accurately measure or count.
Review article
– An article that offers an overview of research in a subject area to-date.
Secondary Source
– An analysis of or commentary on an event after it has passed.
Thesis
– A research project required to earn a master’s degree.
Thesis statement
– A statement at the beginning of a paper that explains what the paper is about. For research, it might also state the results of the study.
