Academic & Research — B2 English Vocabulary

This B2 vocabulary list gathers 50 upper-intermediate English words about academic & research — theses, evidence and rigorous study. Every word comes with its British-English pronunciation and a natural example sentence, so you learn each one in real context. When you are ready, open the flashcards to practise and remember them for good.

1. thesis/ˈθiː.sɪs/

   “She is writing her doctoral thesis.”

2. dissertation/ˌdɪs.əˈteɪ.ʃən/

   “His dissertation explored medieval history.”

3. methodology/ˌmeθ.əˈdɒl.ə.dʒi/

   “The study used a clear methodology.”

4. empirical/ɪmˈpɪr.ɪ.kəl/

   “The claim lacks empirical evidence.”

5. citation/saɪˈteɪ.ʃən/

   “Every quote needs a citation.”

6. bibliography/ˌbɪb.liˈɒɡ.rə.fi/

   “Add the sources to your bibliography.”

7. peer review/ˌpɪə rɪˈvjuː/

   “The paper passed peer review.”

8. scholarly/ˈskɒl.ə.li/

   “It is a scholarly article.”

9. academia/ˌæk.əˈdiː.mi.ə/

   “She has spent her life in academia.”

10. hypothesise/haɪˈpɒθ.ə.saɪz/

    “Scientists hypothesise about the cause.”

11. framework/ˈfreɪm.wɜːk/

    “The theory provides a useful framework.”

12. paradigm/ˈpær.ə.daɪm/

    “The discovery caused a paradigm shift.”

13. quantitative/ˈkwɒn.tɪ.tə.tɪv/

    “They collected quantitative data.”

14. qualitative/ˈkwɒl.ɪ.tə.tɪv/

    “The study used qualitative interviews.”

15. correlation/ˌkɒr.əˈleɪ.ʃən/

    “There is a strong correlation between the two.”

16. variable/ˈveə.ri.ə.bəl/

    “They controlled every variable.”

17. criterion/kraɪˈtɪə.ri.ən/

    “Cost was the main criterion.”

18. premise/ˈprem.ɪs/

    “The argument rests on a false premise.”

19. infer/ɪnˈfɜː/

    “We can infer the result from the data.”

20. deduce/dɪˈdjuːs/

    “We can deduce the answer logically.”

21. validate/ˈvæl.ɪ.deɪt/

    “The experiment will validate the theory.”

22. refute/rɪˈfjuːt/

    “New data refute the old claim.”

23. scrutiny/ˈskruː.tɪ.ni/

    “The findings came under close scrutiny.”

24. coherent/kəʊˈhɪə.rənt/

    “She gave a coherent argument.”

25. ambiguous/æmˈbɪɡ.ju.əs/

    “The wording is ambiguous.”

26. implication/ˌɪm.plɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/

    “Consider the implication of the result.”

27. assertion/əˈsɜː.ʃən/

    “He made a bold assertion.”

28. interpretation/ɪnˌtɜː.prɪˈteɪ.ʃən/

    “There is one clear interpretation of the poem.”

29. context/ˈkɒn.tekst/

    “Words gain meaning from context.”

30. discourse/ˈdɪs.kɔːs/

    “Academic discourse can be complex.”

31. synthesis/ˈsɪn.θə.sɪs/

    “The essay is a synthesis of ideas.”

32. comprehensive/ˌkɒm.prɪˈhen.sɪv/

    “It is a comprehensive review.”

33. substantial/səbˈstæn.ʃəl/

    “There is substantial evidence for this.”

34. preliminary/prɪˈlɪm.ɪn.ər.i/

    “These are only preliminary results.”

35. subsequent/ˈsʌb.sɪ.kwənt/

    “Subsequent studies confirmed it.”

36. terminology/ˌtɜː.mɪˈnɒl.ə.dʒi/

    “Legal terminology is hard to follow.”

37. phenomenon/fəˈnɒm.ɪ.nən/

    “Scientists study the phenomenon.”

38. theoretical/ˌθɪəˈret.ɪ.kəl/

    “It is a theoretical possibility.”

39. rigorous/ˈrɪɡ.ər.əs/

    “The test was rigorous.”

40. footnote/ˈfʊt.nəʊt/

    “The footnote explains the source.”

41. plagiarism/ˈpleɪ.dʒə.rɪ.zəm/

    “Plagiarism is a serious offence.”

42. credible/ˈkred.ɪ.bəl/

    “Use only credible sources.”

43. relevant/ˈrel.ə.vənt/

    “Include only relevant information.”

44. assess/əˈses/

    “Teachers assess the students’ work.”

45. demonstrate/ˈdem.ən.streɪt/

    “The data demonstrate a clear trend.”

46. derive/dɪˈraɪv/

    “Many English words derive from Latin.”

47. underlying/ˌʌn.dəˈlaɪ.ɪŋ/

    “We must find the underlying cause.”

48. simultaneous/ˌsɪm.əlˈteɪ.ni.əs/

    “The two events were simultaneous.”

49. hypothetical/ˌhaɪ.pəˈθet.ɪ.kəl/

    “Consider a hypothetical situation.”

50. dataset/ˈdeɪ.tə.set/

    “They analysed a huge dataset.”