Concept Paper Glossary of Terms

Prepared by Rafael S. Penequito

A concept paper is a concise document that outlines a project, research idea, or proposal. It is often used as a
preliminary step to seek approval, funding, or feedback before undertaking a more detailed plan or project.
Below is a glossary of terms commonly associated with concept papers:
1. The title page needs to provide information about the paper’s topic and authors and the course to
which it is being submitted.
2. The research title summarizes the main idea or ideas of your study. A good title contains the fewest
possible words needed to adequately describe the content and/or purpose of your research paper. The
title is the part of a paper that is read the most, and it is usually read first.
3. The background of a study is the first section of the paper and establishes the context underlying the
research. It contains the rationale, the key problem statement, and a brief overview of research
questions that are addressed in the rest of the paper.
4. Introduction: The initial section that provides an overview of the project or idea and introduces its
main objectives.
5. Problem Statement: A clear description of the issue or problem that the project or research aims to
address.
6. Objectives: A list of specific, measurable, and achievable goals that the project intends to accomplish.
7. Scope: Defines the boundaries and limitations of the project, specifying what is included and excluded.
8. Rationale: Explanation of why the project or idea is important and how it aligns with broader goals or
needs.
9. Literature Review: A summary of relevant existing research, theories, or knowledge related to the
project.
10. Methodology: Describes the research or project approach, including data collection methods,
analysis, and tools.
11. Budget: An estimate of the financial resources required to execute the project, including itemized
costs.
12. Timeline: A proposed schedule or timeline for project milestones and completion.
13. Feasibility Study: An assessment of the practicality and viability of the project, considering technical,
financial, and operational aspects.
14. A Research Instrument is a tool used to collect, measure, and analyze data related to
your research interests. These tools are most commonly used in health sciences, social sciences, and
education to assess patients, clients, students, teachers, staff, etc.
15. Research design refers to the overall plan, structure or strategy that guides a research project, from
its conception to the final data analysis. A good research design serves as the blueprint for how you, as
the researcher, will collect and analyze data while ensuring consistency, reliability and validity
throughout your study.
16. Quantitative research involves collecting and analyzing data in a numerical form. Broadly speaking,
there are four types of quantitative research designs: descriptive, correlational, experimental, and
quasi-experimental.
17. Descriptive Research Design: As the name suggests, descriptive research design focuses on
describing existing conditions, behaviors, or characteristics by systematically gathering information
without manipulating any variables. In other words, there is no intervention on the researcher’s part –
only data collection.
18. Correlational design is a popular choice for researchers aiming to identify and measure the
relationship between two or more variables without manipulating them. In other words, this type of
research design is useful when you want to know whether a change in one thing tends to be
accompanied by a change in another thing.
19. Experimental research design is used to determine if there is a causal relationship between two or
more variables. With this type of research design, you, as the researcher, manipulate one variable (the
independent variable) while controlling others (dependent variables). Doing so allows you to observe
the effect of the former on the latter and draw conclusions about potential causality.
20. Quasi-experimental research design is used when the research aims involve identifying causal
relations, but one cannot (or doesn’t want to) randomly assign participants to different groups (for
practical or ethical reasons). Instead, with a quasi-experimental research design, the researcher relies
on existing groups or pre-existing conditions to form groups for comparison.
21. Phenomenological design involves exploring the meaning of lived experiences and how they are
perceived by individuals. This type of research design seeks to understand people’s perspectives,
emotions, and behaviours in specific situations. Here, the aim for researchers is to uncover the essence
of human experience without making any assumptions or imposing preconceived ideas on their
subjects.
22. Grounded theory (also referred to as “GT”) aims to develop theories by continuously and
iteratively analysing and comparing data collected from a relatively large number of participants in a
study. It takes an inductive (bottom-up) approach, with a focus on letting the data “speak for itself”,
without being influenced by preexisting theories or the researcher’s preconceptions.
23. Ethnographic design involves observing and studying a culture-sharing group of people in their
natural setting to gain insight into their behaviours, beliefs, and values. The focus here is on observing
participants in their natural environment (as opposed to a controlled environment). This typically
involves the researcher spending an extended period of time with the participants in their environment,
carefully observing and taking field notes.
24. With case study research design, you, as the researcher, investigate a single individual (or a single
group of individuals) to gain an in-depth understanding of their experiences, behaviours or outcomes.
Unlike other research designs that are aimed at larger sample sizes, case studies offer a deep dive into
the specific circumstances surrounding a person, group of people, event or phenomenon, generally
within a bounded setting or context.
25. Conclusion: A summary of the main points and a restatement of the project's significance.
26. Appendix: Optional section containing supplementary materials, such as charts, graphs, or additional
data.
27. References: A list of sources cited in the concept paper.