Reliability, Validity and Research Evaluation

Start with reliability and validity

A useful starting point is the mind map Reliability and Validity - Research Methods. It brings together reliability as consistent findings and validity as accurate findings. Use it to see the distinction before working through more specific terms.

The notes on internal and external reliability offer another way into consistency. They cover reliability within a set of scores or items and over time, including its place in observational methods.

Build your vocabulary

After the overview, use the Research Methods flashcards to practice questions about internal and external reliability and internal validity. The Validity and Reliability deck lists further terms, including construct, criterion, face, population and ecological validity.

You can also use Methods flashcards to practice explaining face validity and predictive validity. Return to the mind map when you want to place a term alongside the broader ideas of consistency and accuracy.

Test and review

The quiz on different types of reliability and validity is a next step after the maps and flashcards. It includes observer agreement and the meaning of consistency. Try it, then return to the relevant resource when a question exposes a term you want to study again.

There are also resources on peer review, including a mind map and a quiz. They offer another route into evaluating research on this page.

Connect the topic to the unit

Reliability, Validity and Research Evaluation is a section of Introduction to Research Methods in Research methods and academic skills. The Methodology mind map connects the topic to questions for critically evaluating a study, including its framework, sample size and measures.

Choose a map, work through a flashcard deck, and use a quiz to check which ideas you want to revisit.