Reliability and Validity Section
University of Northern Iowa methods guidance identifies reliability and validity of a survey instrument or method as information that may be needed to explain how a study was conducted and how measurements should be interpreted. Terminology, preferred evidence, and reporting conventions differ across research traditions; some studies use other quality frameworks rather than a standalone Reliability and Validity section.
A Reliability and Validity section reports relevant evidence about measurement consistency and whether the instrument or method supports the intended interpretation or use.
Key details
Important caveats
Scope Boundary
Terminology, preferred evidence, and reporting conventions differ across research traditions; some studies use other quality frameworks rather than a standalone Reliability and Validity section.
Further guidance
Content
Keep claims tied to the instrument, population, purpose, and evidence actually available rather than treating reliability or validity as permanent all-purpose properties.
Practical Application
Report the evidence relevant to measurement consistency and to whether the instrument or method supports the intended interpretation or use; identify the measure, sample/context, method, and result rather than merely claiming it is reliable or valid.
Purpose
Describe the specific reliability or validity evidence that is relevant to the measure and study, identify the basis for that evidence, and avoid unsupported claims that a tool is simply “reliable and valid.”
Reader Check
Check that reliability and validity are not treated as interchangeable labels. State what evidence was examined and keep conclusions within the population, instrument, and purpose actually studied.
Worked Example
“Internal consistency was evaluated for the six-item scale in the pilot sample. Construct validity was examined by testing the prespecified relationship with measure X.”
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Chapter Four: Quantitative Methods — Part 3, Making Sense of Your Study (opens in a new tab)University of Northern Iowa · University methods guidance supporting clear reporting of study design, recruitment, operationalized variables, instruments, and reliability/validity