ANOVA: ‘Analysis of variance’ tests for the difference between the mean score of two or more groups and a single dependent variable measured on a continuous scale. For example, the difference between reporters and non-reporters (groups) and job satisfaction (measured 1–5).

Case-handler: A person in a non-managerial role whose duties include dealing with reported wrongdoing. In the present research, case-handlers include officers working in: a) internal audit, fraud, investigation or ethics units; b) human resources/equity and merit units; c) internal support programs for employees who report wrongdoing; d) peer support for employees who report wrongdoing; e) internal staff counselling or welfare services; f) external staff counselling or welfare services; g) external watchdog or investigation agencies; h) unions or professional associations; and i) other specialist units or roles relevant to the reporting of wrongdoing.

Case-handler and manager surveys: A matched pair of surveys exploring the experiences and beliefs of employees whose role requires them to deal with reported wrongdoing. The results of the two populations are directly comparable. Limited to the case study agencies.

Case study agencies: A subset of 15 agencies (from across Australia) that participated in the agency survey and employee survey, which volunteered to also participate in further research. Results from these agencies can be validly generalised to the wider sample population.

Commonwealth: Commonwealth Government, also known as the Australian Government.

Employee survey: The workplace experiences and relationships questionnaire, examining attitudinal, organisational and situational reasons for making, or not making, a report. Open to employee samples from 118 participating agencies, with 7663 participants.

Internal witness: An alternative, but definitional equivalent (in the present research) to the term ‘whistleblower’, developed for use in the context of internal and regulatory disclosures. Intended to recognise the many different roles and forms whistleblowing can take.

Internal witness survey: A questionnaire intended to give a more detailed picture of the whistleblower experience than provided by the employee survey. The sample included voluntary participants who reported wrongdoing between July 2002 and June 2004. Limited to the case study agencies.

Logistic regression: A method of statistical analysis that allows the use of either categorical or continuous predictor variables. The aim of this analysis is to predict group membership (also called an outcome or dependent variable) from a combination of predictor variables (also called independent or explanatory variables). The estimates from a logistical regression model for each predictor variable give an estimate of the effect of that variable on the outcome variable, after adjusting for all other predictors in the model.

Non-role reporter: A person who made a report of wrongdoing when it was not within the requirements of their formal position within the organisation to do so, defined in this research as any reporter of wrongdoing who was not a role reporter.

Organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB): Discretionary extra-role behaviour performed voluntarily by an employee without any formal job requirement to do so, which promotes the effective functioning of the organisation. In the present research, this was measured with an established scale that assessed ‘interpersonal helping’, ‘individual initiative’, ‘personal industry’ and ‘loyal boosterism’.

Pearson’s correlation: Measures the strength of the relationship between two continuous variables. For example, if time spent reading this report increases your knowledge of whistleblowing, there is a positive correlation between reading the report and knowledge gained. Correlation is not causation.

Personnel and workplace grievances: A category of wrongdoing types that can impact on individuals in organisations without necessarily reflecting lack of organisational or public integrity generally, or impacting on society at large. These are excluded in this research from analyses of public interest whistleblowing. Examples include unfair dismissal, unfair selection processes and bullying (see Appendix 2 for items and categories used in this research).

Pro-social behaviour: Behaviour that would generally be perceived within a particular social group as benefiting other people. This behaviour does not have to be purely altruistic in motive because the outcome is the focal point.

Public interest matters: All wrongdoing not categorised as a personnel or workplace grievance in this research. Major categories include defective administration, misconduct for material gain, perverting justice or accountability (see Appendix 2 for items and categories used in this research).

Role reporter: A person who made a report in line with formal job requirements related to their organisational role. In the present research, a role reporter was defined as a reporter who found out about the wrongdoing only because it was reported to them in their official capacity or a manager whose report concerned only wrongdoers below them in the organisational hierarchy.

Statistical significance: The probability that the result of an analysis indicates a real measure of difference or association and should not be discounted as a chance outcome. Represented by the ‘p’ value reported in text or tables (for example, p = 0.01 indicates that the result would occur by chance only 1 per cent of the time). Significance is not the same as ‘importance’ in a practical sense, particularly in very large samples.

Watchdog agency: Independent government agencies whose role is to ensure other public sector agencies perform their role with due regard to law, policy, procedure and integrity. Their roles can involve research, policy, training and advice as well as investigation.

Whistleblower: An organisation member (former or current) who engages in whistleblowing.

Whistleblowing: The disclosure by an organisation member (former or current) of illegal, immoral or illegitimate practices under the control of their employers to people or organisations that might be able to effect action. This research focuses on ‘public interest’ whistleblowing, in which the issues disclosed raise public interest matters in addition or as opposed to those that involve simply a personal or private complaint (for example, personnel or workplace grievances).