Research Terms, Explained
News stories about studies rarely explain what the study actually showed. This section covers the vocabulary of research itself, including what a p-value means, what a control group is for, and why two studies can disagree without either of them being wrong. Inside a paper, the Clicked extension does the same job — a research paper assistant that explains any term you highlight, in place. These pages explain how research works, and are not medical or scientific advice.
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Correlation vs. Causation: What's the Difference?
Two things moving together is not one causing the other, and the gap is where bad headlines live.
What is a p-value?
How easily luck alone could fake a result — and what 0.05 actually means.
What is Peer Review?
Who checks a study before publication, what that catches, and what it does not.
All 13 terms
What is a Confidence Interval?
The range a study reports around its result, and why a wide one means nobody knows yet.
What is a Control Group?
The group that gets nothing, and why a study without one proves almost nothing.
Correlation vs. Causation: What's the Difference?
Two things moving together is not one causing the other, and the gap is where bad headlines live.
What is a p-value?
How easily luck alone could fake a result — and what 0.05 actually means.
What is Peer Review?
Who checks a study before publication, what that catches, and what it does not.
How to actually read a research paper
Skim smart, break the jargon wall, and keep what you learned — one session, done right.
What is Sample Size?
How many were actually studied, why small numbers mislead, and why big ones are not automatically better.
What is Standard Deviation?
How far the numbers wander from their average — the spread two identical averages can hide.
What does statistically significant mean?
It means probably not luck. It does not mean big, useful, or true.
What is a meta-analysis?
Many small studies merged into one answer, and why the merge can still mislead.
What is a randomized controlled trial (RCT)?
Chance picks who gets the pill, so the pill explains the result.
What is regression to the mean?
An extreme result is usually followed by an ordinary one, and something else takes the credit.
What is the placebo effect?
The pill is sugar and the relief is real, which is why every drug has to beat it.