By the Get Peptide Reviews Editorial Team · Published 5 October 2026
A peptide research headline can sound convincing before you know what its scientific terms mean. This glossary explains twelve terms you will encounter in study reports and gives you a question to ask alongside each one. It is a reference for reading evidence, not a recommendation to use a substance.
Keep the original paper open while you read. A useful next step is to identify who or what was studied, what the researchers compared and what they actually measured. The definitions below draw on the NIH resources linked in each section.
What kind of research was done?
1. Preclinical research
Research before testing an intervention in people can include laboratory and animal work. Findings at this stage do not by themselves establish a benefit for patients. Ask: Was this claim tested in humans?
2. Clinical trial
A study in people that tests an intervention. The word “clinical” does not tell you whether a trial was large, well controlled or relevant to a particular patient. Ask: Which participants and which intervention were studied?
Sources: NCCIH health-news checklist and types of research.
How was the study designed?
3. Control group
The comparison group used to interpret the experimental group’s results. It may receive standard care or an inactive comparison. Ask: Better than what?
4. Randomization
Assignment to study groups by chance. This is a feature of the study design, not a promise that the findings will apply to everyone. Ask: How were participants assigned?
5. Blinding or masking
Keeping participants, researchers or assessors unaware of group assignments to help reduce bias. Reports should specify who was blinded. Ask: Who knew which treatment was received?
6. Sample size
The number of participants studied. Small studies may leave substantial uncertainty; a large study still needs a sound design. Ask: How many people contributed to the result?
Sources: NCCIH study design, NIA clinical research, minimizing bias and study size.
What do the results mean?
7. Statistical significance
A result meeting the study’s statistical threshold under its analysis. It does not establish that the effect is large or useful to patients. Ask: How big was the difference?
8. Clinical significance
Whether the size and nature of an effect matter in patient care or daily life. A statistically significant difference can still be too small to matter much. Ask: Would this change an outcome people care about?
9. Replication
Repeating research to see whether a result holds up. Agreement across well-conducted studies is more informative than treating one paper as a final answer. Ask: Have other investigators found a similar result?
10. Conflict of interest
A relationship or interest that could influence how research is conducted or interpreted. Funding disclosures provide context; they are not a substitute for examining the methods. Ask: Who funded the work, and what relationships were disclosed?
Source: NCCIH guide to research results.
How does a paper fit the wider evidence?
11. Systematic review
A structured review of studies addressing a defined question. Read how studies were found, selected and assessed. Ask: Which evidence was included or excluded?
12. Meta-analysis
A statistical combination of results from multiple studies. The combined number needs the context of the included studies and their differences. Ask: Were the studies similar enough for this summary to be useful?
Source: NCCIH overview of research types.
Use the glossary with a real paper
Write one sentence that includes the study type, participants, comparison, measured outcome and follow-up period. If one of those details is missing, record the gap instead of filling it in from a headline. A description of a study is not a prediction of your own outcome.
For a worked example, continue to How to Read Peptide Research and Clinical Evidence. Bookmark this glossary to keep the definitions nearby.
Sources checked 5 October 2026. This article explains research terminology and has not been clinically reviewed. It does not provide dosing or treatment advice. See our review methods and funding disclosure.