Glossary of Terms

Community-Based Research
Community-based research involves studying people within a community to learn more about diseases or conditions that affect people in the community.  top

Control Group
A control group is a group of individuals who do not have the condition or disease that is being studied. A control group is studied to compare individuals who have a particular disease or condition with individuals who do not have that disease or condition.  top

De-identification
De-identification is the process of removing information that could be used to identify you, such as your name and address, from a blood sample or information collected from you. Blood samples and information are always de-identified before they are given to researchers.  top

Diagnostic Tests
Diagnostic tests are medical tests used to determine what disease or condition a person may have.  top

Informed Consent
Informed consent is the process in which a person learns about a research study and then agrees voluntarily to take part or decides not to take part in the study. This process includes signing a form that describes what will happen if the person decides to take part in the study.  top

Institutional Review Board
An institutional review board or IRB is group of individuals who are responsible for protecting the rights, safety, and well-being of research participants.  top

Protocol
The protocol is a document that describes the purpose of a research study, the research study plan and why the study is important.  top

Repository
A repository is like a bank where information and samples are placed for safekeeping until they are needed.  top