Accreditation
A formal recognition decision by an authorized body under a stated scope. The term and legal effect vary by jurisdiction.
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PLAIN LANGUAGE FOR A GLOBAL AUDIENCE
Academic Glossary & Guides
Explore common academic, research and recognition terms. Meanings vary by system, law, institution and use.
24 terms
Academic integrity
Principles and practices for honest, responsible academic work, attribution and research.
Bachelor’s degree
A qualification category used in many systems for undergraduate study; duration, level and effect vary by jurisdiction.
Citation
A reference that identifies a source used or discussed in a piece of work.
Credit
A measure of learning volume or achievement under a defined system. Credit systems are not automatically interchangeable.
Department
An organizational or subject grouping within an institution. A directory label alone does not prove an operating unit.
Degree-awarding powers
Legal or regulatory authority to award a specified qualification in a jurisdiction.
Digital object identifier (DOI)
A persistent identifier assigned to a digital object; a DOI alone does not certify quality or peer review.
ECTS
The European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System. Its use does not itself establish recognition outside applicable rules.
Faculty
A broad academic division or subject grouping; institutional meanings differ.
Full text
The complete content of a work. A search result or abstract does not guarantee free access to the full text.
Indexing
Inclusion of records in a discovery database under its criteria; indexing is not the same as accreditation or endorsement.
Licence
Terms that set conditions for using, sharing or adapting a work. Check the item-level licence and applicable law.
Master’s degree
A postgraduate qualification category; requirements, level and recognition differ by system.
Open access
Free-to-read access to a work online; reuse conditions depend on the licence and rights.
Open licence
A permission framework allowing specified uses under stated conditions; it is not the same as public domain.
ORCID
A persistent digital identifier for a researcher, managed by the ORCID organization.
Peer review
Evaluation of scholarly work by reviewers before publication under a journal or publisher process; practices vary.
Preprint
A research manuscript shared before formal peer review or publication. It may later change or be withdrawn.
Public domain
Works not restricted by copyright or dedicated to the public domain under applicable law; status can vary by country.
Repository
A platform that stores or provides discovery for scholarly works, data or other digital materials.
Research ethics review
An institutional or legal review process for research involving people, animals or sensitive material; requirements vary.
Transcript
An academic record of courses or results issued by an institution. Its authenticity and recognition must be checked with its issuer.
University
A term with jurisdiction-specific legal meanings and requirements; company incorporation alone does not confer university status.
Practical guides
Use external learning resources
Separate free-to-read materials from courses, certificates and formal qualifications; check conditions with the provider.
Evaluate scholarly evidence
Check author, date, publication type, method, sample, limitations and whether independent sources agree.
Identify legitimate course credentials
Confirm issuer, assessment, identity checks, certificate type and recognition rules directly with the provider and relevant authority.
Interpret resource licences
Read item-level reuse terms, attribution requirements, restrictions and local copyright law before copying or adapting.
Recognition and institutional status: definitions in this glossary do not confirm IEU’s accreditation, degree-awarding authority, a specific award route or cross-border recognition. See IEU’s current status pages for institution-specific information.