eviDent members who are registered and practising dentists and have ‘intellectual input into the research and whose participation warrants inclusion of their name on publications’[1].

"The Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research guides institutions and researchers in responsible research practices and promotes integrity in research for researchers. The Code shows how to manage breaches of the Code and allegations of research misconduct, how to manage research data and materials, how to publish and disseminate research findings, including proper attribution of authorship, how to conduct effective peer review and how to manage conflicts of interest. It also explains the responsibilities and rights of researchers if they witness research misconduct.

Developed jointly by the National Health and Medical Research Council, the Australian Research Council and Universities Australia, the Code has broad relevance across all research disciplines. It replaces the Joint NHMRC/AVCC Statement and Guidelines on Research Practice (1997).

Compliance with the Code is a prerequisite for receipt of National Health and Medical Research Council funding".

Source: http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/publications/synopses/r39syn.htm

"Somthing that introduces a difference or trend that distorts (or could distort) results of a study". (EBD 2009:10.4) 

eviDent members who provide ‘the intellectual, administrative and ethical leadership’[1] to an eviDent research project or program.

When a person exploits or appears to exploit their position for personal gain.

The outcome variable of primary importance in the research question.

Dental Practice Based Research Network

"The extent to which an intervention improves the outcome for people under ideal circumstances. Testing efficacy means finding out whether something is capable of causing an effect at all".  (EBD 2009:10.4) 

An international ethical and scientific quality standard for designing, conducting, recording and reporting trials that involve the participation of human subjects.

 One of the conditions under which the research is conducted.

"...the process of finding and critically analysing published material in an area in relation to our research question". (Richters, 1998)

 "Meta-analysis is a statistical technique which summarises the results of several studies into a single estimate, giving more weight to results from larger studies". (EBD 2009:10.4)

 "A term little used outside gambling and statistics. It is defined as the ration of the probability of an event happening, to that of its not happening: the risk". (EBD 2009:10.4)

Oral Health Cooperative Research Centre

An impartial and independent assessment conducted by one or more experts in the relevant field.

 Problem, Intervention, Comparator, Outcome, Time.

 The careful study and investigation of new information concerning a particular subject.[1]

 Data are facts, observations or experiences on which an argument, theory or test is based. Data may be numerical, descriptive or visual. Data may be raw or analysed, experimental or observational. Data includes: laboratory notebooks; field notebooks; primary research data (including research data in hardcopy or in computer readable form); questionnaires; audiotapes; videotapes; models; photographs; films; test responses. Research collections may include slides; artefacts; specimens; samples. [1]

Constructs which guide the research direction.

The gap in current knowledge that has been identified from a literature review.

"The soundness or rigour of a study. A study is valid if the way it is designed and carried out means that the results are unbiased ie, it gives you a true estimate of clinical effectiveness". (EBD 2009:10.4)