diff --git a/glossary.qmd b/glossary.qmd index 7cef71b..831f564 100644 --- a/glossary.qmd +++ b/glossary.qmd @@ -231,19 +231,42 @@ See [verify](#verify) below. ## Verify "Verify" is the act of checking something against a specification or -requirement. When verifying something against a specification, -regardless of the connection to reality or to human needs, if it meets -the specification, it "passes". As long as the specification and the -thing being verified don't change, it will always pass. Even if the -specification is wrong, unconnected to reality, or no longer relevant to -any human problem or need. "Verification" is often confused with -"validation". See our entry on [validate](#validate) for an introduction -the confusion around these two terms. - -The act of making or updating a specification requires human judgment -and a connection to solving some need, so the specification itself can -be validated. When something is compared against the specification, this -is verification. An easy guideline to use is that verification happens -within a computer (or between computers) and doesn't necessarily require -human involvement. Often, verification is automated, and if it isn't, it -likely could be. +requirement. When verifying something against a specification, regardless of the +connection to reality or to human needs, if it meets the specification, it +"passes". As long as the specification and the thing being verified don't +change, it will always pass. Even if the specification is wrong, unconnected to +reality, or no longer relevant to any human problem or need. "Verification" is +often confused with "validation". See our entry on [validate](#validate) for an +introduction the confusion around these two terms. + +The act of making or updating a specification requires human judgment and a +connection to solving some need, so the specification itself can be validated. +When something is compared against the specification, this is verification. An +easy guideline to use is that verification happens within a computer (or between +computers) and doesn't necessarily require human involvement. Often, +verification is automated, and if it isn't, it likely could be. + +## Sample or statistical population {#statistical-population} + +A +[sample](https://www.bmj.com/about-bmj/resources-readers/publications/statistics-square-one/3-populations-and-samples) +or [statistical](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statistical_population) +population is a set of items that together help answer specific research +questions. An item can be anything, like people, objects, animals, cells, +buildings, or cities. Each item is considered the "statistical" or +"observational" unit and analyses occur at the level of this +statistical/observational unit. Items have data collected or obtained about +them, for example, a person's weight, height, and age is measured and collected +at a specific point in time. + +There are several ways of getting a statistically adequate sample such as with +[sampling](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sampling_(statistics)) or by using a +set of [inclusion +criteria](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inclusion_and_exclusion_criteria), +depending on the needs of the specific research question(s). Because collecting +data costs money, often researchers make use of existing data to help answer +their research questions. These existing data could be administrative data, such +as from the government or healthcare system, or could be from large research +projects that collect a lot of data from a boarder population. Researchers would +use inclusion criteria for the population within these existing data to obtain +their own statistical population to answer their specific research questions.