Definition of Terms

In this section of Chapter 1, the researcher defines the important terms used in the study. Generally, the preferred type of definition for this section is operational definition, which indicates how a certain term is specifically understood, used and/or measured in the study. Some studies may also use conceptual definitions, which is the non-contextualized, lexical definition of the terms.

This section begins with the clause, “The following terms are operationally (and/or conceptually) defined:”.

The format for each beneficiary-benefit is as follows:

Name of the term to be defined. This refers to the (state the definition of the term). Terms that are defined conceptually must cite the source. The sequence of the terms is alphabetical.

Terms to be defined:

·      Variables and sub-variables in the study

·      Participants, locale and other related context in the study

·      Other terms that are important in the study

Note 1: When are conceptual definitions necessary? As mentioned above, most studies make use of operational definitions. But there are times wherein the globally accepted meaning of the term must be used. For instance, if you are doing a study among breast cancer survivors, you cannot operationalize and change the meaning of “breast cancer survivor” to suit your needs. You must use its universally accepted definition.

Note 2: This section SHOULD NOT include the concepts, constructs, themes and other terms that emerged after the analysis of the data. The definitions of these terms should be found in the results section (Chapter 3).

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