Research in Exercise Physiology Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering exercise physiology research methods, search strategies, journal article structure, study designs, and clinical trial phases.

Peer Review Process

A process that ensures research quality by determining whether a study is well designed, adds knowledge, uses appropriate methods, provides credibility and trust, and reduces bias.

Boolean Terms

Search operators (AND, OR, NOT) used to connect search terms to narrow or broaden results, where OR yields more results, AND yields fewer, and NOT increases specificity.

Abstract

A summary of a research report that is usually between $200$ and $500$ words.

Introduction

The section of a journal article that introduces the problem area, establishes its importance, overviews relevant literature, and describes specific questions, purposes, and hypotheses.

Methods

The section of a journal article outlining participant information, measures, experimental procedures, and statistical analysis.

Results

The section of a journal article containing statistics, tables, and figures that summarize the collected data.

Discussion

The section of a journal article that briefly summarizes the study's purpose and main findings while comparing results to previously published studies.

References

An exhaustive list of source references used by authors that directly matches all in-text citations.

Evidence-Based Practice

Clinical decision-making regarding treatments based on effective research, helping clinicians avoid outdated practices and provide optimal care.

Basic Research

Research often called 'bench research' that is performed in a controlled laboratory; it has little direct application but explains theories to help develop applied research.

Applied Research

Research used to solve specific problems through studies designed to replicate authentic environments.

Qualitative Research

A research approach that explores the 'why' and 'how' of a topic.

Quantitative Research

A research approach that explores the 'what', 'how many', and 'how much' of a topic.

Observational Studies

Descriptive studies where behavior is recorded without any variable manipulations to understand natural trends.

Correlational Studies

Studies examining the relationship between $2$ or more variables without manipulation, which cannot establish causality.

Experimental Studies

Studies that introduce a treatment or intervention and manipulate one or more variables to determine cause and effect to an extent.

Clinical Trial

An experimental study testing how well new medical approaches work in humans to determine safety and effectiveness.

Phase I Clinical Trial

A clinical trial focused on safety where a treatment is tested on humans for the first time using very small sample sizes of a few dozen people.

Phase II Clinical Trial

An efficacy study in a clinical trial conducted to determine whether a given treatment works in $25$ to $100$ patients.

Phase III Clinical Trial

An effectiveness study in a clinical trial evaluating real-world treatment use in several hundreds to thousands of people.

Phase IV Clinical Trial

A clinical trial in which a monitoring study is performed after a treatment has been implemented.

Retrospective Study

A study design looking back in time at past records, such as reviewing electronic medical records to determine diagnostic history.

Prospective Study

A study design that plans ahead to enroll subjects and track outcomes forward over time.

Longitudinal Study

A typically large, often observational study that investigates changes over time, usually over span of years.

Framingham Study

A longitudinal study started in $1948$ (now on its $3\text{rd}$ generation of participants) that provides most foundational knowledge on cardiovascular disease (CVD), diet, and exercise.