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Research quality criteria are requirements for research that psychologists have recommended and agreed upon.
Data and reports must meet these requirements to be considered quality scientific research. There are several types of quality criteria for qualitative and quantitative research.
The purpose of using research quality criteria for qualitative research is to determine if it is credible and trustworthy based on the following criteria:
Credibility – whether the research findings contain credible information based on data collected from participants and whether the interpretations reflect that data. The results should accurately reflect the experiences of the participants. It is similar to internal validity, a requirement of quantitative research.
Transferability – whether the results are transferable to other situations, environments, and participants.
Dependability – whether the results are consistent and repeatable.
Confirmability – whether other researchers can confirm the results.
Research quality, Pixabay
The following table summarises the methods researchers can use to meet the requirements of the research quality criterion for qualitative research:
Qualitative quality research criterion | How research can meet this criterion |
Credibility |
|
Transferability |
|
Dependability |
|
Confirmability |
|
The purpose of using quality criteria for quantitative research is to determine if it is credible and trustworthy. The following criteria should apply to the research:
Internal validity – how much of the observed effects are due to the independent variable, not other factors.
External validity – whether the sample results can be generalised to the broader population.
Reliability – whether similar results would be obtained if the study were repeated.
Objectivity – whether potential biases (researchers and experimental) that could influence the results are excluded.
Researchers can assess the reliability of their study using test-retest reliability and inter-observer reliability.
Test-retest reliability tests whether the results of a study are consistent over time.
Test-retest reliability is when the same test/experiment is administered to the same participants at two different time points. If the correlation between the two results is high, this is a good reliability indicator.
Researchers can improve the test-retest reliability by:
Redesigning the test, or perhaps improving or removing some questions.
Controlling external factors as much as possible, e.g., by ensuring that participants take the test under the same conditions (e.g., in the same room).
Inter-observer reliability refers to the extent to which different researchers (observers) agree and give the same ratings for a phenomenon.
In Bandura’s Bobo doll study, researchers measured the inter-observer reliability by determining whether observers agreed with how many acts of aggression the children exhibited.
In a study, if one observer gives many ratings but another observer gives few, then inter-observer reliability is low.
Researchers can improve the inter-observer reliability by:
Giving all observers the same training in observation techniques.
Clearly defining the variables and how they will measure.
Validity can be assessed in several ways: face validity, concurrent validity, ecological validity, and temporal validity.
Face validity means assessing whether a test measures what it claims at first glance.
Face validity is the weakest type of validity criterion because it is based on people’s assumptions about their behaviour.
Concurrent validity means that you compare the results of one test to the results of an existing test to see if they give similar results. Participants must take the tests at approximately the same time to reflect their current state.
A well-known measurement of aggression is Buss-Perry’s aggression questionnaire (1992). Suppose you have developed a new questionnaire on aggression and test its concurrent validity. You could ask participants to complete both questionnaires in one sitting and then compare your participants’ results with your questionnaire with the results they obtained with the Buss-Perry aggression questionnaire. If the results are similar, there is concordant validity.
Ecological validity is the extent to which the study results can be applied to real-life situations.
A study may work well in a laboratory, but the results are not as good when transferred to the outside world. We can improve ecological validity by conducting studies in natural settings.
Temporal validity measures whether the study results are generalisable or applicable over time.
Asch’s (1951) study on conformity does not have good temporal validity because it has been criticised for reflecting the American conformist culture of the 1950s.
The following table summarises the methods that researchers can use to meet the requirements of the quality criteria for quantitative research:
Quantitative quality research criterion | How research can meet this criterion |
Internal validity |
|
External validity |
|
Reliability |
|
Objectivity |
|
Empirical research is research based on direct observations rather than subjective opinions, data, and analysis techniques.
Empirical data should allow valid, reliable, and objective conclusions to be drawn. This research method can provide qualitative or quantitative data. There is an ongoing debate among psychologists about whether empirical research is the right approach to conducting research.
The main characteristics of empirical research are:
This framework follows the stages of the scientific method and provides step-by-step guidance on how scientific research should be conducted.
Data should be observable.
Data should be verifiable.
The following table describes the main features of empirical research and their relationship to quantitative quality criteria:
Quantitative quality criteria | Characteristics of empirical research | How is it achieved? |
Validity | Observable | Observable data reduce the likelihood that subjective perspectives and experiences will influence data and analysis. |
| Reliability | Verifiable | Suppose we repeat the research in the same way/ in a different context/ in a different setting and similar results are obtained. In that case, the researcher can verify that the results and the conclusions drawn are reliable. |
| Objective | Follow the scientific method to research | The scientific method provides researchers with an empirical technique to use, limiting the effects of bias and thus increasing validity. Therefore, statistical inferences are deduced from data-driven, empirical evidence. |
Research quality criteria are requirements for research that psychologists have recommended and agreed upon.
The research quality criteria for qualitative research are credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability.
The research quality criteria for quantitative research is internal validity, external validity, objectivity, and reliability.
Objective research is defined as research that is ‘scientific’ and measured without the influence of subjectivity, such as the researcher's personal opinions.
Empirical research is defined as research that is based on direct observations, rather than subjective opinions, data and analysis techniques. For data to be classified as empirical it should be tested following the scientific method stages and be observable and verifiable.
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