Validity and Reliability in Research

On the other hand, validity is the credibility of the research. It relates to how much the results are genuine. However, there are different types of validity. It can be external, internal, conclusion, and construct validities. Therefore, when conducting research, it is crucial to take into consideration the instrument used to draw the research data since it plays a significant role in determining how far the findings will be used to address the specific challenge including demonstrating the cause-and-effect relationship. Thus, it constitutes both negative and positive correlation. In other words, it is a measure of how accurate a research conclusion is, which means that it is mostly concerned with the relationship between the data used and the outcome. It can, however, be used in both quantitative and qualitative research.

Equally, internal and external validity are essential to any research. Internal validity is the degree to which, the accuracy of the study can be measured. Additionally, the significance of reliability in research cannot be overlooked. It relates to the accuracy of the research data. Thus, it is crucial in helping the researcher to choose quality instruments to measure the existing variables (Heale & Twycross, 2015). Arguably, every researcher aspires to recognize the real correlation between variables, which requires the use of real instruments to avoid producing flawed results. Furthermore, the data used may be reliable but turn out to be invalid attribute to the methodology used failing to measure the actual variable being investigated. Evidence-based nursing, ebnurs-2015. Leung, L. Validity, reliability, and generalizability in qualitative research.