Validity and Reliability in Qualitative Research

Abstract

The ability to demonstrate the validity and reliability of research findings is one of the important factors that determine the value of scientific research. Validity and reliability or trustworthiness are fundamental issues in scientific research whether qualitative, quantitative, or mixed research. It is a necessity for researchers to describe which criteria they have taken into consideration for the findings obtained during the validity and reliability of the research process. Even though currently, the validity and reliability of qualitative research findings are still controversial in some academic environments, particularly among positivists, qualitative research has lately gained momentum among researchers. Conceptual complexity in literature and unclear statements are misleading to the researchers who are interested in qualitative research, particularly those are new and yet learning qualitative research. Based on this viewpoint, the current study is aimed to present the specific information on validity and reliability in qualitative research, from an analytical perspective. In this context, the concepts of internal validity and external validity, internal consistency reliability, and external reliability used in quantitative research that are equivalents to credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability concepts in qualitative research are scrutinized. In addition, techniques to provide each criterion that researchers can use are also detailed.