La Carlota City College

Research Enhancement

DEFINITION OF TERMS
(Research)

Reported by:
Mary Anne P. Solinap
 Definition of terms is an essential subsection of the introductory chapter of a
research report. It concerns the meaning and measure of term(s) that is defined.
Terms or concepts whose meanings are not obvious in the context of a study are
defined or explained under the definition of terms.

This is necessary so as to "pin down" the particular concept which is used in the
study and it is based on observable characteristics of that which is being, defined
(Uzoagulu, 1998). By virtue of this, there is no room for obscurities and
ambiguities. Also, the researcher and the readers are brought into a common
ground for effective communication of research reports.
Types of Definitions of Terms

1. Conceptual/Theoretical
Definition of Terms
2. Operational Definition of
Terms
Conceptual
Definition of Terms
• Is the universal meaning that is attributed
to a word or group of words and which is
understood by many people.

• It is abstract and most general in nature.

The usual source of conceptual definition
is the DICTIONARY, ENCYCLOPEDIA ,
the reference books of everyday
language.

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

Operational Definition of Terms
1. Conceptual
According to Bandele (2004), operational
2. Constitutive
definition of terms allows the researcher give
meaning to a construct,3. Operational
concept or term by specifying
the activities or operations to measure it. As such, a
construct or concept thus defined is said to be
operationalized. This is also known as the 'working
definition' of that term, construct or variable.
Operational definition of terms is very vital as it can aid
individuals from other disciplines or fields of study to understand the
usage of terms that go beyond the common language.

Operationally defining a term gives the researcher the privilege of attaching a

peculiar meaning to that term in such a way that would be appropriate for
the purpose of the research work being undertaken.
Operational Definition of Terms
The researcher is also at liberty to coin terms for use in a study albeit,
such a coinage must be logical, coherent and correspond with what
readers are willing to accept as true or fact (Nwankwo and Emunemu,
2014).

A number of criteria may be used for choice of terms to be

operationally defined. Such criteria according to Ajayi (2005), may include
the following:

Are the terms pertinent to the study?

Are interpretations of the terms prone to ambiguity in the mind of
the readers if definitions are not provided?
Can the terms be defined as observable samples of behavior or
are they measurable?
IMPORTANCE OF DEFINITION OF TERMS

Some common errors being committed by many researchers under the

definition of terms in their research works have been classified
according to Owuamanam (1997) and Ajayi (2005) as: giving full
meaning of abbreviations such as PTA, SPEB, ASUU, G&C among
others, incomplete definitions of terms, defining unnecessary terms
and defining unrelated terms.
They stated further that if abbreviations have to be used, they should be
used scantly or sparingly. They have to be written in full the first
time they appear in the work and subsequently the words can be
abbreviated.
References
Basic Concepts and Methods in Research by Venancio B. Ardales
Best, John W. Research in Education Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey:Prentice Hall, 1970.
Chen, Paul C.Y. “Traditional and Modern Medicine in Malaysia” Social Sciencee and Medicine 15A(1981):127-136
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342897909_RESEARCH_VARIABLES_TYPES_USES_AND_DEFINITION_OF_TERM
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