Glossary
- Algorithmic Bias
- The systematic biases that are embedded in algorithms. They can be coded by humans, deliberately or unintentionally, or learned through biased data sets, often replicating existing social inequities.
- Allyship, Indigenous
- An ongoing process of learning, unlearning, and action, allyship involves recognizing and disrupting systems of power and privilege that marginalize Indigenous Peoples and other equity-deserving groups. For non-Indigenous people, allyship means understanding the impacts of settler-colonialism and reflecting on one’s role in upholding or dismantling systemic inequality. It also includes “calling in” others with compassion to promote awareness and respectful behavior (Native Women’s Association of Canada, n.d.).
- Axiology
- A branch of philosophy, studying the values and beliefs people hold. In the context of this resource, it relates to one’s definition of knowledge and worldview, including what one believes to be ‘true’ and what counts as ‘evidence’ in evidence-based practice.
- Black Boxes
- A system where the inner components, logic, algorithms, etc., are invisible or otherwise hidden from users. People engage with a black box system by giving it a command or typing in a query and receive a result without any knowledge of how the system has arrived at that result.
- Boolean Operators
- Words like ‘AND’ and ‘OR’ that help refine search results in tools such as databases. These operators function as commands to the database on how to conduct a search. For example, ‘OR’ searches for multiple synonyms and broadens the results, while ‘AND’ combines different concepts and narrows the search.
- Citation Justice
- The intentional practice of critically examining and diversifying cited sources to uplift and center gender-diverse, Black, Indigenous, racialized people(s), and S2LGBTQIA+ folks. It involves actively challenging exclusionary norms in academia by recognizing different forms of expertise, assessing who is represented in reference lists, and valuing nontraditional and under-cited sources. It is grounded in feminist and anti-racist principles, acknowledging that authority is contextual and collaborative.
- Cognitive Imperialism
- A term coined by Marie Battiste, cognitive imperialism is a form of cognitive manipulation used in social and education systems to discredit Indigenous knowledge systems and values, and deny Indigenous children access to their heritage, language, and culture. It ensures that only colonial knowledge systems are seen as legitimate and valid (2018).
- Confirmation Bias
- The tendency to process information by looking for or interpreting it in a manner consistent with one’s existing beliefs. This biased decision-making often happens unconsciously and leads people to overlook information that contradicts their existing beliefs. These beliefs may be shaped by their expectations in a situation or their assumptions about what will happen. The more significant or relevant an issue is, the more likely individuals are to interpret information in ways that reinforce their own views.
- Decolonization
- The necessary and ongoing process of unlearning, uncovering, and transforming the legacies of colonialism, as well as utilizing the educational and knowledge systems available to relearn and rebuild the social, cultural, and linguistic foundations that were lost, or eroded through colonialism. Within the context of this resource, decolonization also requires, “making space, balancing, generating, and enabling diverse knowledge systems to thrive in the academy as well as in and through educational and knowledge transmitting places for Indigenous Peoples, the formerly colonized or continuing colonized nations, peoples, and cultural knowledge systems” (Smith et al., 2021, p.6-7).
- Disinformation
- Deliberately deceptive information intended to deceive, cause harm, and misdirect individuals, organizations, or nations.
- Echo Chambers
- A closed environment in social media where individuals are repeatedly exposed to ideas and opinions that align with their existing beliefs. Within this insulated space, opposing views are rarely encountered or considered, leading to the reinforcement of personal biases. They can contribute to increased social and political polarization, as well as the spread of more extreme views. They often limit exposure to diverse perspectives and strengthen predetermined narratives and ideologies.
- Elders, Indigenous
- Highly respected members of a community who have this title bestowed because of the spiritual, cultural, and traditional knowledge they hold, and their admirable balance of wisdom, harmony, and actions within their daily lives. Elders are recognized not for their age but their contributions to the community as mentors, Knowledge Keepers, spiritual leaders, or role models.
- Epistemic Injustice
- When people “undermine, undercut, disvalue, curtail, exclude, outright dismiss, or, in some cases, gaslight a person/or persons in their capacity as potential knowers” (Dunne, 2020).
- Epistemicide
- A type of epistemic injustice used to describe the “killing, silencing, annihilation, or devaluing of a knowledge system” (Sousa Santos 2011).
- Epistemology
- A branch of philosophy that studies knowledge and belief. In the context of knowledge justice, it is often used to describe a person’s worldview, theory of knowledge, or way of knowing. Epistemologies are cultural and can depend on time, place, values, and prior experiences with learning. It is possible to think using more than one epistemology.
- Equity-Denied
- Individuals or groups who experience barriers to equal access, opportunities, and resources due to disadvantage and discrimination linked to their social location and/or shared identities.
- Etuaptmumk (Two-Eyed Seeing)
- Gifted by Mi’kmaw Elder Albert Marshall, Two-Eyed Seeing, or Etuaptmumk, encourages us to “see from one eye with the strengths of Indigenous knowledges and ways of knowing, and from the other eye with the strengths of Western knowledges and ways of knowing”—and to use both together for the benefit of all (Bartlett et al., 2012).
- Evidence-based Practice
- Within the context of helping professions, it is the systematic process of making work-place decisions that integrate best-available professional evidence. The goal is to eliminate as much personal bias and unfounded beliefs as possible from the care of others and, instead, base decisions on one’s synthesized and ever-growing body of professional knowledge, whether learned from feedback from colleagues, lived experience as a practitioner, clinical practice guidelines, or peer-reviewed research. Practitioners must be able to assess the quality and relevance of this evidence and apply it appropriately to each situation, which requires ongoing learning, training, and critical thinking as their professional practice develops.
- Global Souths
- Refers to a wide range of countries, communities, and diasporas shaped by the histories of colonization, imperialism, and ongoing global inequalities. While it often includes regions such as Africa, Asia and the Pacific Islands, Central Asia and the Caucasus, the Middle East and North Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean, it is not strictly geographic. Instead, it signals a political, historical, and epistemic position: one that recognizes how Western systems of knowledge, power, and governance have marginalized and devalued the experiences, worldviews, and intellectual traditions of many peoples. The plural form, Souths, is used to emphasize the diversity and complexity within and across these communities, avoiding the false idea of a single, unified identity or experience. (Global Souths Hub, 2025).
- Grey Literature
- A term used in some fields to identify information and research produced by entities outside commercial and academic publishing, such as material from government agencies, non-governmental organizations, or industry, among many others. Grey literature does not have a standard definition, as there is some debate about what type of information falls outside the definition of grey literature, such as social media posts, YouTube videos, or blogs.
- Identity, Personal
- The individual traits that differentiate one person from others. These may include preferences such as favourite music genres, a unique sense of humour, or specific hobbies and interests. It encompasses the characteristics that set an individual apart within a broader social identity group.
- Identity, Social
- The aspects of an individual that are shared with different social groups or communities. These connections often provide a sense of belonging and contribute to how a person understands themselves in relation to the world. This experience is inherently multidimensional as individuals are typically a part of multiple groups at once. Examples include social class, race or ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and professional or disciplinary affiliations.
- Implicit Bias
- The assumptions, attitudes, and beliefs that operate outside of conscious awareness. These biases can conflict with a person’s stated values and contribute to prejudice and discrimination by distorting judgment and decision-making. Recognizing implicit biases is important in reducing their potentially negative impact on interactions and outcomes.
- Intersectionality
- A term coined by Black feminist legal scholar Dr. Kimbleré Crenshaw to describe the ways in which our identities, like race, gender, class, ability, etc., intersect to create overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage. An intersectional approach to feminism, for instance, involves acknowledging and addressing the distinct challenges faced by women of colour, disabled women, and trans women.
- Kaswentha (Two-Row Wampum)
- A living treaty established in 1613 between the Haudenosaunee (Six Nations) and Dutch settlers, documented with a wampum belt made of beads from clam shells. The belt stands for equity and respect, depicting two boats each navigating the river of life without steering the other. It is grounded in three principles: living in friendship, maintaining peace between the peoples, and ensuring the relationship endures forever.
- Knowledge Justice
- The active challenge to the dominance of Eurowestern knowledge systems, paired with a commitment and responsibility to respectful, reciprocal engagement across diverse ways of knowing. It requires humility in acknowledging the limitations of one’s own perspective, along with a genuine openness to engaging with other ways of knowing. It is rooted in the principle that all people possess the equal capacity to understand and interpret the world. However, this right is often denied based on social identities, with certain groups historically excluded from being recognized as knowers. In particular, the knowledge systems of Indigenous peoples have been deliberately marginalized, erased, or silenced.
- Large Language Models
- A form of generative artificial intelligence (AI) designed to recognize patterns in language and to generate human-like text. GPT is a popular example of a large-language model.
- Malinformation
- Information rooted in fact but presented in a distorted or exaggerated manner that misleads and may result in harm.
- Medicine Wheel
- A sacred and ancient symbol recognized by many (but not all) First Nations and Métis peoples across Turtle Island, representing holistic learning and healing. Teachings vary from one community to another, with foundational concepts depicted through a circle divided into four directions, such as East, West, North, and South, or the four sacred medicines . Medicine wheels can take many forms, from art, painting to representations on the land, and have been used to “describe various aspects of life, both seen and unseen. It provides us teachings about how to live life in a good way.” (Elder Lillian Pitawanakwat, Ojibwe/Potawotami, as cited in Pereda, n.d.)
- Misinformation
- Inaccurate or untrue information that is shared without the intention of causing harm.
- Oppression
- The unequal treatment of a person or a group through social structures, laws, policies, or norms. It results in dominant groups unjustly maintaining status, privilege, and power over others.
- Positionality
- The ways in which an individual’s social location influences access to power and resources, shapes their perception of the world, and affects how they are perceived by others.
- Positionality Statements
- A statement that acknowledges the influence of an individual’s social location and lived experience on their specific context, practice, or piece of work. It may include recognizing power differentials between the individual and those they work with, such as patients, students, research participants, etc.
- Positivist
- A research paradigm rooted in the scientific revolution of the European Enlightenment. Positivism traditionally argues that authentic knowledge arises from objective, observable, and measurable phenomena, emphasizing a strict separation between the researcher and their subject.
- Post-Positivist
- A research paradigm rooted in the scientific revolution of the European Enlightenment. While still valuing empirical inquiry like positivism, post-positivism acknowledges that complete objectivity is impossible, recognizing that researchers are influenced by their values, experiences, and social contexts. Post-positivist researchers often use both quantitative and qualitative methods, emphasizing reflexivity, critical inquiry, and the role of context in shaping knowledge claims.
- Power
- Access to resources such as information or knowledge, connections, experience and expertise, and decision-making authority that enables one to make or influence decisions that impact others or the world around them. More power can enhance a person’s chances of getting what they need to live a comfortable, safe, productive, and profitable life. Each person has different levels of power in different contexts depending on a personal combination of privileges and oppression.
- Privilege
- Unearned power, benefits, advantages, access and/or opportunities that provide unfair advantages for members of the dominant social identity group(s) in society. Some examples include cisgender privilege, socioeconomic privilege, male privilege, and white privilege.
- Protocols, Indigenous
- The respectful rules, guidelines, manners, and etiquettes that are in place to uphold and prioritize Indigenous ways of knowing, being, doing, and belonging. While protocols may differ between communities, some examples include offering tobacco when making a request, giving an honorarium or gift in appreciation, and practices such as smudging at gatherings, meetings, or events.
- Reconciliation
- The ongoing process of building a renewed relationship with Indigenous Peoples based on the recognition of rights, respect, cooperation, and true partnership. It goes beyond acknowledging the historical reality and harm of residential schools, requiring all Canadians to confront and challenge the colonial systems and ideologies that made such institutions possible. It is the collective commitment to dismantling these oppressive structures and cultivating a society rooted in equity and mutual understanding.
- Scraping, Web
- The process of collecting data from websites. This is typically done using automated tools, like bots or web crawlers, that extract and store web content for analysis or future use. Although it can also be done manually, the term usually refers to automated data collection from online sources.
- Search Strings
- Commands written to instruct library catalogues, search engines, and databases to retrieve specific information. They are constructed using relevant keywords combined with Boolean operators such as ‘AND’ and ‘OR’.
- Shadow-Banning
- The practice of partially blocking, limiting, downranking, or reducing the visibility of content without the awareness of creator or users. Used often in the context of social media, content is able to be produced and posted without restriction, but receives reduced traffic, either as a result of algorithmic change or human intervention.
- Sinophobia
- Anti-Chinese bias, racism, discrimination, and fear, typically directed at Chinese minorities living outside Greater China. It can take many forms, including racist attitudes, exclusionary policies, unequal treatment under the law, political ideologies, and economic disparities.
- Social Location
- The unique set of identities and circumstances we each occupy within society, shaped by factors such as race, gender, class, sexual orientation, ability, religion, immigration status, and more. Social location is not just about who you are; it’s also about how your various identities intersect to shape your experiences and perspectives.
- Social Position
- The status and power that an individual holds in society based on their social identities in relation to other individuals and social groups. It is shaped by all the identities or groups to which a person belongs, influencing their access to resources, opportunities, and social recognition.
- Systemic Bias
- The built-in advantages or disadvantages certain social groups experience as a result of established norms and practices within social, institutional, or organizational systems. It includes both institutional and structural forms of bias, often resulting in discrimination that is woven into policies, laws, and societal standards, causing persistent and widespread harm to marginalized communities.
