Keywords: Validity, Quality of research, Research quality, Qualitative research, Quantitative research
Research credibility entails the quality and validity of a research work; how it is being carried out, the point of view of the researcher, the environment, and the methods and approaches adopted. This also hinges on the reliable judgement of the researcher, how the data have been gathered, analysed and results presented (Patton, 1999). Credibility in this sense raises some questions:
• What methods are used to collect data; survey, questionnaire, interview, or focus groups?
• Does the research questions relevant to the topic being researched?
• Were the hypotheses used testable?
• What research approach was used, fixed or flexible?
• Are the results of the qualitative and quantitative research checked and validated?
These questions serve as criteria for the credibility of a research.
Also, the philosophy and the environment of the researcher play a great part when checking the validity and quality of a research.
References
Patton, M. (1999, December). Enhancing the Quality and Credibility of Qualitative Analysis. Retrieved November 15, 2010 from: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m4149/is_5_34/ai_58451871/
Nice work Taiwo. Could you expand a little on your thoughts surrounding philosophy?
ReplyDeleteThis is a good outline for all the aspects that come into place when considering collecting research.
ReplyDeletePhilosophy is generally the study of beliefs. Every scholar or contributor in all fields has got a belief system - personal judgement. So, while carrying out a research project or analysing results, the researcher does make assumptions based on how the world is viewed (William, 2006). It should also be noted that research credibility is based on quality, inferences and conclusions.
ReplyDeleteSources: http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/philosophy.php
ReplyDeletehttp://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/introval.php