Yes, you're correct. My bad. Though, in my experience, "radiation" without a modifier almost always refers to the electromagnetic variety. But I guess that could vary depending on what circles one hangs out in.
IME in physics, the term "radiation" usually refers to particles whose total energy is much greater than their rest mass. Not all free electrons constitute beta radiation; only those whose velocity is some considerable fraction of the speed of light. Massless particles such as photons, on the other hand, are always radiation according to that definition.
This. In medicine, for instance, "radiation" without a modified almost always refers to "ionizing radiation" --ie with enough energy to induce DNA damage by creating free radicals or inducing covalent linkages.
