Research glossary

A

Altmetrics

Altmetrics (short for alternative metrics) show how research is talked about and shared online. They track activity such as mentions on social media, news websites, blogs, and policy documents. Altmetrics give an early picture of attention and engagement, rather than waiting for citations to build up over time.

Article Processing Charge (APC)

An APC is a fee paid to a publisher to make a research article free for everyone to read online (Open Access).

Author Accepted Manuscript (AAM)

The AAM is the final version of a paper after peer review and acceptance by a journal, but before the publisher formats it. It includes all the agreed changes but does not have the journal’s layout, branding, or final copy-editing.

B

Bibliometrics

Bibliometrics is the use of numbers and statistics to study research publications. It looks at things like citations, publication counts, and downloads to understand how research is used and how influence develops over time.

Book Publishing Charge (BPC)

A BPC is a fee paid to make a whole book freely available online as Open Access. It helps cover publishing costs. When the fee applies to a single chapter, it may be called a Chapter Publishing Charge (CPC).

C

Creative Commons (Licence)

A Creative Commons (CC) licence tells people how they can use a piece of work. It allows sharing and reuse while making clear what is allowed, such as whether the work can be changed or used commercially.

D

Data

Research data are the materials collected or created to answer a research question. Data can take many forms, such as numbers, text, images, recordings, or measurements, and are used to support research findings.

Data Management Plan (DMP)

A Data Management Plan explains how research data will be collected, stored, protected, shared, and kept after a project ends. It is updated as the project develops.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

A DOI is a permanent label for digital research outputs such as articles or datasets. It makes sure the item can always be found and cited, even if its web address changes.

DORA / Responsible Research Assessment

DORA is a statement that encourages fairer ways of judging research quality. It argues against relying mainly on journal-based metrics, such as impact factor, and supports assessing research on its own quality, value, and contribution.

E

Early Career Researcher (ECR)

An Early Career Researcher is someone in the early stages of their academic career, often within a few years of completing a PhD. This can include postdoctoral researchers, research fellows, and new lecturers.

Embargo

An embargo is a delay placed on public access to a research output. During this time, only basic information such as the title and abstract may be visible.

Ethics

Ethics are the principles that guide responsible research behaviour. In research, this means protecting participants, acting honestly, and considering potential harm or benefit to people, society, and the environment. See the Academic Ethics Policy.

F

FAIR Data Principles

The FAIR Data Principles aim to make research data easier to find, access, understand, and reuse. FAIR stands for Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable.

Figshare

Figshare is an online platform where researchers can store and share research outputs such as datasets, figures, and software. It helps make research more visible and reusable.

I

Impact Factor

The impact factor is a number that shows how often, on average, articles in a journal are cited over a set period, usually two years. It is often used to compare journals.

M

Methodology

Methodology explains how a study was carried out. It describes the research design, the methods used, and how data was collected and analysed.

Monograph

A monograph is a detailed academic book focused on a single subject. It usually presents original research by one author.

Moratorium

A moratorium is a temporary pause on access to a research output. This may be used when sharing could cause legal, ethical, or social harm.

O

Open Access (Green, Gold, Diamond)

Open Access means research is free to read online.

Green Open Access: Authors share a version of their work in a repository.
Gold Open Access: Articles are free to read immediately on the publisher’s website, often funded by APCs.
Diamond Open Access: Articles are free to read and free to publish, with no charges for authors.

Open Data

Open data is research data that anyone can access, use, and share, with few or no restrictions.

Open Research

Open research is an approach that promotes openness and transparency. It involves sharing research methods, data, and outputs so others can understand, check, and reuse the work.

ORCID

ORCID is a unique digital ID for researchers. It helps ensure that research outputs are correctly linked to the right person, even if names are similar or change over time.

P

Peer-review

Peer review is a process where experts assess research before publication. They check quality, accuracy, and relevance, and suggest improvements.

Persistent Identifiers

Persistent identifiers are permanent references for people or research outputs. They help ensure items can always be found. Examples include DOIs and ORCID IDs.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is using someone else’s work or ideas without giving proper credit. This includes copying text, data, or concepts and presenting them as your own.

Predatory / Hijacked Journal

Predatory journals charge fees but do not provide proper peer review. Hijacked journals are fake websites that copy the name of a real journal to trick authors into submitting work.

Preprint

A preprint is a full research paper shared publicly before formal peer-review and journal publication.

Preregistration

Preregistration involves publicly recording a research plan before data collection starts. This helps increase transparency and reduce bias.

R

Registered Report

A Registered Report is a publication format where the research plan is reviewed before data is collected. Acceptance is based on the quality of the design, not the results.

Research

Research is work carried out to increase knowledge and develop new ideas or applications. This includes basic research, applied research, and experimental development.

Research Culture

Research culture refers to shared values, behaviours, and expectations within research communities. It shapes how research is done and how researchers are supported.

Research Data Management (RDM)

RDM is the process of organising, storing, sharing, and preserving research data throughout its life. Good RDM helps ensure data is secure, usable, and compliant with rules.

Research Excellence Framework (REF)

The REF is a UK system for assessing research quality in universities. It evaluates research outputs, impact, and environment and helps decide how funding is distributed.

Research Governance

Research governance is the system of rules and processes that ensure research is carried out ethically, legally, and responsibly.

Research Integrity

Research integrity means doing research honestly and responsibly. It includes accurate reporting, ethical conduct, and good data management.

Rights Retention

Rights retention allows authors to keep key rights to their work. This often means sharing the accepted manuscript in a repository without publisher restrictions.

S

Secondary Data

Secondary data is data collected by someone else for a different purpose. Researchers reuse it to answer new questions.

Sensitive Data

Sensitive data is information that could cause harm if shared. This includes personal, legal, or commercially sensitive information and must be handled carefully.

Systematic Review

A systematic review carefully collects and analyses all relevant studies on a specific question. It follows a clear, planned method to reduce bias.

T

Transformative Agreement

A transformative agreement is a deal between institutions and publishers to support Open Access publishing. It combines reading access with publishing rights.

U

USIR (University of Salford Institutional Repository)

USIR is the University of Salford’s online repository. It stores and shares research outputs, helping preserve them and make them openly available.

V

Viva

A viva is an oral exam for a research degree. The student discusses their thesis and answers questions from examiners.

Version of Record (VoR)

The Version of Record is the final published version of an article. It includes all formatting and is the official version used for citation.

W

Worktribe

Worktribe is the University of Salford’s system for managing research information. It is used to deposit outputs into USIR, manage projects, and create academic profiles.