TERMIUM Plus®

The Government of Canada’s terminology and linguistic data bank.

anecdotal information [1 record]

Record 1 2012-05-17

English

Subject field(s)
  • Epidemiology
DEF

Data based on the description of individual cases rather than controlled studies.

CONT

Additionally, anecdotal data may lack quantitative specifics and can come from sources that are not peer reviewed such as the popular media. In the epidemiology context, anecdotal data refers specifically to case studies, but other disciplines use the term to refer to pieces of information that are based on casual observations rather than rigorous or scientific analysis.

OBS

The plural of "datum" is "data." When "data" is used as a plural term, it may be perceived as a collective noun, which takes a singular verb. However, "data" can take a plural verb if attention is being focused on each individual piece of data (e.g. The data were transferred.). In both cases, the French equivalent should be in the plural form.

French

Domaine(s)
  • Épidémiologie
DEF

[...] informations tirées de descriptions de cas ou d'événements, par opposition à des données recueillies systématiquement qui peuvent être soumises à des tests statistiques.

CONT

Les données anecdotiques doivent être interprétées avec prudence, mais elles permettent parfois d'élaborer des hypothèses.

Spanish

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