How can a researcher ensure that the study results are valid and reliable?
The 'easy' part is first to use careful and proper experimental methods and equipment. Collecting relevant, accurate, and real data is the fundamental requirement for any valid result. Sometimes extreme care or measures need to be taken to avoid extraneous effects from the environment, or simply a combination of factors into one effect. Taking temperature measurements from a flowmeter output will not give valid data.
The hard part is the use of various statistical analysis tools to determine whether you think that your results are significantly different from a random chance. Others may disagree with your criteria. Data results may be considered "valid" when they are replicable and consistent. The analysis of the data can always be improved with more data but it will never be more than a suggestion for a conclusion based on your perspective.
In terms of "survey" studies there are numerous procedures that can be applied to "validate" the use of a survey for a particular study. We can validate to some extent that a particular survey will deliver reliable consistency without being able to assume that any statistics derived from the study are particularly relevant.
uncertainty is always inevitable, there is no 100%, but there is one parameter that pushes forward is 'Confidence Interval'.
1. Create acceptance criteria for the research study.
2. The Acceptance criteria must be close to the Industry standards with a safety factor.
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